Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Resources and links about touch screens, tables, and multi-touch
After reading a comment to one of my recent posts, I realized that I have several posts and links to resources about interact displays, tables, touch screens, and multi-touch on my Interactive Multimedia Technology blog that I should share with TSHWI readers here.
When I have a moment, I will update this blog with pictures, and annotations, and more resources. (I've posted some of these links on my sidebar, which I'm in the process of updating.)
SethSandler: Audio Touch
Stephano Baraldi's On the Tabletop
Desney Tan: Large displays and multiple device systems
Gerd Waloszek: Interaction Design Guide for Touch Screens
Touch Usability
Microsoft Surface
Inside Microsoft's Multi-touch: Team, Demo, Lab Tour (includes a video)
Savant's Rosie Touch Table
TouchTable
My YouTube Playlist: Cool Technology, Interactive Multimedia, and More!
Monday, March 3, 2008
NextWindow Demos a Multi-touch Display: A more affordable "Surface".
NextWindow has a multi-touch display! This display was demonstrated at a recent digital signage expo in Las Vegas.
If you are waiting to get your hands on something multi-touch, you don't need to wait to get a Surface:
I need to get my hands on one to see/feel how my projects-in-process play out on the screen. For those of you who don't follow my blogs, I tested out several of my project prototypes for my HCI and Ubiquitous Computing classes on a variety of displays, and found that I liked the NextWindow display the best in terms of resolution and touch-response. (See poetry picture share and photo-globe explorer)
Not long after that, Microsoft unveiled the Surface, which still is out of reach for most humans. I recently came across a demonstration of the Surface with a multitouch game, "Firefly", developed by Carbonated Games. The video was produced by Sarcastic Gamer.
I imagine that FireFly would work just fine on the NextWindow, even if the display is upright, not a table.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
I wish I could be Johnny Chung Lee for a Day! Tracking fingers with the Wii Remote
I've mentioned in previous posts that I am a fan of Johnny Chung Lee, a Ph.D. student in the Human-Computer Interaction department at Carnegie-Mellon University. Johnny expects to complete his Ph.D this year. Johnny recently presented his innovative work at TED 2008.
What impresses me about Johnny is the way that he has documented his intellectual journey in a very accessible way, by using YouTube and his well-organized, appealing website. Johnny has taken interesting ideas that most would dismiss as silly or impractical, and transformed them into useful, usable applications that hold great promise for future work.
In my opinion, many of Johnny's "hacks" will spark ideas related to the design and development of universally designed technologies and applications that will meet the technology needs of a wider range of people. This is important, especially now that an increasing number of "connected" interactive displays and kiosks (known by the marketing industry as interactive digital signage) in public spaces.
Johnny's research interests:
"Novel techniques that greatly enhance the practicality and reachability of interactive technology, such as projector calibration, multi-projector applications, augmented reality, physical and tactile input, multi-point interaction, head-tracking, and biometric input."
YouTube Description:
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Interactive touch displays for ordering meals at the table? Link to article from the Sunday Times Online
Photo from the Sunday TimesAlthough this form of table-top computing is not the same as Microsoft's Surface concept, it is a move in the right direction.
Information from the Conceptic website:
"With networked LCD touch screens installed at each table, diners can - at the touch of a mouse or the screen- not only order and pay for their drinks or food, but also select music and video, play games, chat with other customers, and more."
(I'd like to test the system for usability.)
Links:
"A clever touch at the restaurant: Diners can now view and order their dishes using a touchscreen at the table"
Conceptic
Friday, February 22, 2008
Convergence: Digital Out of Home Experience, Marketing, Pervasive Computing...
It is interesting to see how various digital technology sectors are overlapping and converging as make attempts to expand their markets, improve education.or make a social impact.
One example of this convergence is described in a recent post in Future-Making Serious Games, by Eliane Alahdeff about Reatrix, a company that focuses on interactive digital OOH marketing and "brand play". 
Excerpt from the Reatrix website:
"The unique Reactrix advertising and entertainment experience leads to unsurpassed media effectiveness, made possible by proprietary reactive technology that projects vivid branded messages onto 6-foot by 8-foot surfaces. Images instantly respond to movement or gestures, creating a participatory media experience that allows brands to "come alive" and invites people to interact with them."
I haven't come across anything from Reactrix in the course of my daily life, but when I do, I'll be sure to have my video camera ready! I wouldn't want to be disappointed.
Note:
To get a better understanding of this phenomenon, do a search on the following terms or combination of terms:
Off-the-desktop, Internet tablets, interactive whiteboards, web-enabled cell phones, sensors, GPS, GIS, "digital-out-of- home" (Digital OOH),digital signage, interactive kiosks, advergaming, wayfinding, pathfinding, "in the wild", pervasive computing, ubiquitous computing, mobile, interactive, ambient, mScapes, serious games, social spaces, public places, networked real estate, touch screens, intelligent buildings, user-centered design, user-centered content, usability, user experience design, interaction design.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Technology-Supported Shopping and Entertainment User Experience at Ballantyne Village: "A" for concept, "D" for touch-screen usability
There is a relatively new shopping and entertainment center, Ballantyne Village, in Charlotte, N.C. that was developed in partnership with Cisco Systems Connected Real Estate and Intelligent Buildings. The goal of this project was to use innovative technologies to plan, implement, maintain, and update a customer and tenant-focused environment. This concept is sure to catch on.
Free WiFi service is available to visitors in and around the center, even at the fountain. The video security system is networked. In the movie theater's bathrooms, an e-mail is automatically sent to the manager's computer when the paper towel dispensers are low on paper. There are several interactive large touch-screen displays located around center. The displays can be easily updated to provide visitors with information about the various stores, sales, and types of activities available at Ballantyne Village.
I first learned about this center last year, when I was taking Human-Computer Interaction and Ubiquitous Computing. Since part of my work focused on large interactive touch-screen displays, I was interested to see if the screens at the Ballantyne Village center would hold up to usability standards. I had previously watched a promotional video about the center, and was hoping that the displays would prove to be "useful, usable, and used".
The promotional video will show you why I was excited about Ballantyne Village.
Purpose of my visit:
Since I was new to Ballantyne Village center, my primary goal was to quickly learn more about the shops, all located outdoors, and target my shopping around sales. Since it was a gray, cold, and rainy February day, I didn't want to spend my time exploring the center by foot. I also wanted to take a quick peek at the layout of the center to learn about other services, such as restaurants, coffee shops, and services, in order to plan ahead for future visits.
Critique
To get the full picture of my experience, first view the unedited video-clips.
Note: The narrative is what came out of my mouth as I interacted with the screens, and the perspective is first-person. This is NOT a polished voice-over.
First experience: Fade to red
Second Experience: Chasing the Red Ball
Third experience: Difficulty with navigation
The large interactive touch screen displays I found at Ballantyne Village didn't live up to potential, nor did they help me achieve my goals as a first-time visitor who happened to have some time and money for an after-work shopping session.
They displays were attractive, but they weren't very useful. They were difficult to use, and during the time I spent exploring the displays, I was the only person who interacted with the screens or noticed the other forms of digital signage in the area.
As I approached the first screen, I noticed that in order to activate the display, I had to chase a red ball around the screen. The migrating red ball attracted me to the screen, but it wasn't always functional. On the first display, as soon as I managed to touch the ball, the screen faded to red, and did not reactivate. I chased a ball on another screen, but it did not activate at all.
I was able activate another screen which allowed me to navigate and find more information. Unfortunately, the content wasn't well-organized or as interactive as I'd expected.
The display performed as if it wanted to be both a video infomercial AND an interactive website at the same time. Web-like navigation conventions, such as a back arrow and navigation bars did not always activate when touched. This might have been related to a screen calibration problem.
There were many on-screen items that were puzzling. There was a rotating map of a large view of the Ballantyne Village area that didn't seem to provide information when touched. There was another image of the main building, with small billboards displayed that looked like they were navigation tools, but did nothing when clicked. Some menu items activated when clicked, but the sub-menus that displayed did not link to anything. I never found out about the sales!
I gave up:
I wonder if the same people behind the touch-screen application at Ballantyne Village were also responsible for the user-unfriendly interactive touch-screen map I experienced at the Cleveland Clinic:
User Unfriendly Information Kiosk Map
I'm still looking for user-friendly, useful examples of large touch-screen applications in public spaces, so if you know of any, please leave a comment and a link!
In my opinion, more work needs to be done to ensure that touch-screen interaction in public spaces is truly user-friendly. For more about interaction and usability, read my post, Reflections on Interaction: Update.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Reflecting about Interaction-Updated
I became interested in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) initially because of my frustration with user-unfriendly desktop applications during the course of my work in the schools as a school psychologist. Over the years, I hoped that there would be some significant improvement in the types of technology and applications available to support me in my daily work.
I was too much of a dreamer to believe that years later, I'd still be interacting with "productivity" applications, unusable -or inaccessible- database systems, and "lame" educational applications for students. Although there is a need to improve the usability of traditional applications, I've come to realize that this is not for me.
Why is this so?
In addition to my training and work experience related to school psychology, social science, counseling and education, I also have a background in art, music, and dance, so I appreciate good design and the importance of multiple modes of interaction and communication. I look forward to the future.
I'm fascinated by interactive multimedia, large interactive displays, and hand-held gadgets of all kinds. I'm the proud co-owner of a Wii, and I'm not ashamed to say that I am a fan of the work of Johnny Chung Lee. I'm enthused about the work of Harry "Gravano" van der Veen and the NUI group, and also Jeff Han, from Perceptive Pixel. I'm excited about the work of people such as Bill Buxton (Multitouch Systems that I have Known and Loved; Sketching User Experiences), Dan Shafer (Designing for Interaction), Adam Greenfield (Everyware: The Dawning of the Age of Ubiquitous Computing), Rich White (EduSim) , Julian Lomberdi (Croquet), and the people behind "Putting People First", among others.
Part of the reason I maintain my blogs is to support the hard work of people who are doing great things out of the limelight - and to share the good news with people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to learn about these user-centered innovations. Sort of like cheer-leading...
When I'm out and about, I sometimes take quick pictures and video-clips of things related to interaction. Although my goal is to find examples for the "Usability Hall of Fame", most of what I've collected would be appropriate for the "Usability Hall of Shame".
Examples of user-unfriendly applications, interfaces, and devices can be found in some of my blog posts:
Usability and interaction difficulties with large touch-screen displays at an upscale shopping center...
Accessing Road Runner web-mail when you've forgotten your password...
Usability/Interaction Hall of Shame: What were they thinking?!
On the Positive
I'm always on the lookout for interesting research that is consistent with the off-the desktop theme of this blog. Here are a few things that have recently crossed my path:
Stanford University's HCI Group
How Bodies Matter: Five Themes for Interaction Design
(Scott R. Klemmer and colleagues)
"ABSTRACT: Our physical bodies play a central role in shaping human experience in the world, understanding of the world, and interactions in the world. This paper draws on theories of embodiment — from psychology, sociology, and philosophy — synthesizing five themes we believe are particularly salient for interaction design: thinking through doing, performance, visibility, risk, and thick practice. We introduce aspects of human embodied engagement in the world with the goal of inspiring new interaction design approaches and evaluations that better integrate the physical and computational worlds."
Scott Klemmer's Website
"My research goal is to create the tools and representations that will enable everyone, not just technology experts, to design interactive systems for pervasive computing..."
Here are two examples of how people use their bodies to interact with music. The quality of the first video is poor, but the interactions are fun to watch and hear:
Musical Soundscape Museum Exhibit
Multi-Touch Music Wall
(note: loud volume)
First IxDA Interaction 08 Conference
The first IxDA conference was held from February 8-10 at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I was unable to attend, but from the information presented on the conference website and the videos that were made available to the public after the conference, I know that it was a conference that should not have been missed!
Links to the conference videos, via Putting People First
Interactive Design Association (IxDA)
"Interaction Design (IxD) is the branch of user experience design that defines the structure and behavior of interactive products and services."
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Disney's House of the Future - reminds me of my childhood memories of Expo 67..
I came across an article in MIT's Technology Review on-line about Disney's revival of the "House of the Future". According to the article, the "$15 million (euro10.32 million) home is a collaboration of The Walt Disney Co., Microsoft Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., software maker LifeWare and homebuilder Taylor Morrison."
This brought back a few memories from my childhood.
I remember visiting a "kitchen of the future" at Expo 67, in Montreal, Canada, when I was a little girl. The most amazing thing that I saw was a video phone. I was so excited to be told that in the very near future, all families will have video-phones in their kitchens!
Are we there yet?!
This clip of the Telephone Pavilion has a brief demonstration of a video phone. Even better is the demonstration of the "Telephone of the Future". Here is an excerpt:
"The Telephone of the Future - you can make a call from the palm of your hand, you touch buttons, instead of dialing, and it has an electronic tone, instead of a bell.. And one day, completely portable!"
There is a demonstration of call forwarding, a picture phone, and a means to pay bills by phone. (Listen the lyrics of the music in the background.. "this is the way we pay our bills..")
The family takes a trip to Expo '67 - (Not my family!)
(Music on the clip reportedly is from Isao Tomita's electronic music interpretation of Debussy's Pictures from an Exhibition, recorded in 1975, but somehow appropriate.)
Tour of Man in the Community pavilion - discusses man, community, and technology.
Expo 67 in Montreal
(John Whelan)
The Expo Lounge Blog
All about Expo 67!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Usability Link: Microsoft Design Center - Mobility (via Putting People First)
Take a look at the Microsoft Design Center's Mobility usability website.
I am impressed. I found the link via Putting People First.
Microsoft Design Center: Mobility
http://www.microsoft.com/design/work/Detail.aspx?key=mobility
Friday, February 1, 2008
Human-Information Interaction, Usability, User Interface Design Patterns, Mobile Web Design- Random Links
I've posted these links and will write about them when I have the chance!
Center for Human-Information Interaction
Cognitive Informatics: Enhancing Human Information Interaction and Decision Making http://www.pnl.gov/cogInformatics/hii_thrusts.stm
Human-Ubiquitous Environment Interaction Group
Ubiquitous Interaction
Ambient Findability
Physical, Social, and Experiential Knowledge in Pervasive Computing Environments
Lashups: Toolkit for Location-aware Mashups
Pervasive Visualization: Visualization on Mobile Devices
Howard Rheingold's SmartMobs companion website.
http://infosthetics.com/
http://www.w3.org/Mobile/
Adaptive Path Blog: Dan Harrelson's article 2008: The Year of Great Mobile Interfaces
Google's Android: Open Handset Alliance Project
Yahoo!'s Go
W3C Mobile Web Initiative
W3C Ubiquitous Web Applications Workgroup
Book: Barbara Ballard's UI Design Guidelines for Mobile Web Development
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/31/10-principles-of-effective-web-design/
Anders Toxboe's UI Patterns
Yahoo!'s Design Pattern Library
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Who studies ubiquitous/pervasive computing?
Last year I took a course in Ubicomp, and as I delved into the research, I learned that people from a variety of disciplines are involved in this area.
I didn't return to school until mid-life, after working for many years as a school psychologist. My second major as an undergraduate was social science, and it's exciting to see what people in the social science are doing in this forward-looking, interdisciplinary field.
I've come across a few more interesting researcher-bloggers, and I'd like to devote some of my future posts highlighting some of their work and accomplishments.
I mentioned in a previous post that Sam Kinsey, a PhD candidate in cultural geography at the School of Geographical Sciences in the University of Bristol, is focusing his research in Ubicomp.
Sam Kinsey's current proposed thesis title:
"Practicing the technics of disappearance: emergent spatialities and the experimental development of ubiquitous computing."
Anne Galloway is a Ph.D candidate and a lecturer in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. Take a look at her Purse Lips Square Jaw and Space and Culture sites/blogs.
Anne's blog statement:
"My research interests can be found at the intersections of space, culture and technology. I particularly enjoy critical social and cultural theory, social studies of science and technology, design and new media studies, material culture studies and qualitative methodologies."
More later!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Usability Hall of Shame Update: Accessing Road Runner web-mail when you are away from home and have forgotten your password.
This is a short video of slides I created for an assignment for "Privacy and Security: A Human-Computer Interaction Perspective" last semester. The video shows it all!
Other posts with examples for the Usability Hall of Shame:
Touch screen interaction and usability in public spaces
Usability/Interaction Hall of Shame
A list of links to books about usability and interface design can be found on the Isys Information Architect's website, on the "Interface Hall of Shame" section.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Great resource about interaction design from SIGGRAPH 2007: Interaction Tomorrow
If you are interested in interaction design for the future, take a look at the course notes from Interaction Tomorrow, presented at SIGGRAPH 2007.
Here is the course abstract:
"This course provides a comprehensive overview to user interface technologies on the newly emerging interactive tabletops and large wall displays. The course will cover input devices, interface metaphors, modality of interaction, sensing technologies, applications, and future directions. Materials will be drawn from both commercial systems and research prototypes."
The Interaction Tomorrow is a pdf that contains 172 pages of pictures and text.
The course was organized by Michael Haller, from the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences, and Chia Shen, from the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories. The lecturers included Gerald Morrison, from Smart Technologies, Bruce H. Thomas, from the University of Southern Australia, and Andy Wilson from Microsoft Research.
Bios
The course website http://www.interactiontomorrow.org/
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Mobile RFID by Samsung; Open Verizon Network?!
“This is a transformation point in the 20-year history of mass market wireless devices – one which we believe will set the table for the next level of innovation and growth,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer. “Verizon Wireless is not changing our successful retail model, but rather adding an additional retail option for customers looking for a different wireless experience.”
InformationWeek
Samsung said it expects the radio-frequency identification "We are enabling anytime, anywhere mobile access to information," said Chihee Chung, senior VP of Samsung's Electronics System LSI Division, in a statement. "RFID chip readers systems allow consumers to pull context-specific information into their mobile devices while on the go. Our mobile RFID single-chip technology is an important step in the evolution of ubiquitous computing." My comments: Although Verizon and Samsung's efforts appear to move us closer to Weiser's vision of ubiquitous computing, we must keep in mind that with each advance in technology, there are a host of other problems, such as privacy and security, usability, and accessibility, that remain to be fully addressed!
What do you think?
Resource:
Information about the early history of Ubiquitous Computing
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Ubiquity: RXDXT's post about William Gibson's thoughts about ubiquitous computing...
I came across this post on rxdxt’s blog, I couldn't put it any better:
UBIQUITY
There's a great interview in Rolling Stone with one of my favourite authors of all time, William Gibson (Neuromancer, coiner of the term Cyberspace and his newest Spook Country (which I'm reading now). Here's a quote:
"Ubiquitous computing?
Totally ubiquitous computing. One of the things our grandchildren will find quaintest about us is that we distinguish the digital from the real, the virtual from the real. In the future, that will become literally impossible. The distinction between cyberspace and that which isn't cyberspace is going to be unimaginable. When I wrote Neuromancer in 1984, cyberspace already existed for some people, but they didn't spend all their time there. So cyberspace was there, and we were here. Now cyberspace is here for a lot of us, and there has become any state of relative nonconnectivity. There is where they don't have Wi-Fi.
In a world of superubiquitous computing, you're not gonna know when you're on or when you're off. You're always going to be on, in some sort of blended-reality state. You only think about it when something goes wrong and it goes off. And then it's a drag."
This made me think. When I become a grandmother, will I find myself among other grandparents, physically miles away, attending my grandchild's science fair, musical recital, or high school drama performance in SecondLife?
Friday, November 9, 2007
Musings about pervasive computing and health care, usability, rationale for "technology-supported human-world interaction"
"Imagine a world," said cardiologist Leslie Saxon, "where you turn on your computer and, along with surfing the Web and turning on YouTube, you can check your or your family members' health stats." Technology and health care are topics that interest me, since they directly affect my life and the lives of those who are close to me, if you've read previous posts on my blog(s): Usability Interaction Hall of Shame (user-unfriendly technology in a hospital setting)
This is the quote that grabbed my heart this morning from an article in a recent Technology Review announcing the "First Annual Body Computing Conference".
This is the stuff that gets me really excited.
World Usability Day 2007: Healthcare Focus
Skype in the Hospital: Grandpa, webcams, and grandkids over the miles
What is technology-supported human-world interaction?
First of all, it is a concept that I can wrap my head around, since I come from a background in psychology and education, and didn't take a computer programming class until I was in my 40's.
It is a concept that my non-techie circle of friends, school colleagues, and extended family members can also understand.
Technology-supported human-world interaction incorporates HCI concepts, but it takes into consideration the broad range of human interactions. It is an attempt to identify what specific systems, applications, networks, interaction designs, interfaces, and input/output modalities are best suited for the task, action, or interaction, and also looks closely at the panorama in which this is likely to occur.
Since human interactions are dynamic and change over time, the concept of panorama includes a temporal component. Of course, this necessitates that programmers, systems developers, designers, and everyone else involved in the process becomes cognizant of the the big picture, the wider view, before the first line of code is ever discussed.
Why do I think this is so important?
When I was a little girl, my family visited a communications technology exhibit, and I participated in a demonstration of a TV phone. I was so excited when I heard the scientist say,
"In the very near future, imagine a world where everyone will be able to call their friends and family, and see them talking on TV, right from their kitchens!"
That was nearly 40 years ago.
I've never lost hold of that feeling of excitement, even though as an adult, I've experienced much that could wear my excitement away....
A large percentage of my interactions with computers and technology over the years has been with poorly designed cell phones and cable TV remotes, crashing laptops, user-unfriendly database systems, problematic productivity applications, and lost Internet connections.
The people who worked for months, even years, creating these problem applications and devices aren't stupid. General users aren't stupid. So why do we still encounter so many frustrating problems?
Until recently, in the technology world, both in academia and in the workplace, the focus has been too narrow. My hunch is that things are changing, and somehow, I'd like to be a part of it.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Ubiquitous interactive computing comes to the corner bank?!
Here is another way that innovative technologies are supporting "human-world" interaction. My last post addressed the topic wayfinding and gas pumps with internet-linked touchscreens... if you decide to forgo the ATM and wander inside your corner bank, you'll be amazed at the changes
According to a post from the Bank Channel, Umpqua bank is using technology to promote better customer -(or user) experience:
"Umpqua has collaborated with technology companies including Cisco, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, NCR and Planar to develop and integrate technology that the bank says will enhance customer experience and store operations. In many cases, it is the first time these technologies have been implemented in a consumer setting.
Features of the new branch include:
- Product wall: A 40-foot, interactive plasma wall that features touch screen technology, podcasts and community search functionality.
- Community wall: This interactive display wall serves as the store's official community center. It provides information on volunteer opportunities and community events, supports fundraising for community organizations and includes a survey option for users to tell Umpqua which topics they would like to learn more about.
- LocalSpace: Umpqua's own social networking site that is designed to connect and assist local businesses in a virtual setting.
- Computer café: Features tables embedded with state-of-the-art Lenovo laptops for easy-access online banking or Web access.
- Ask an expert: Connects customers face-to-face with experts on a wide range of financial topics at any time.
- Interactive and in-store shopping: Customers can browse merchandise from local merchants as well as Umpqua's Discover Local Music CDs, books and other products."
Something like this would be great asset at the mall, or for relatives and friends visiting loved ones during hospital stays.....
Google Maps at the Gas Pump?!: One Small Step Towards Ubiquitous Computing for the Masses....
If you are out and about and find yourself lost and in need of gas, Google might be right at your fingertips to point you in the right direction.
Gasoline pump maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root will provide Google Maps on Internet connected screens right on the gas pump.
Promotions and ads can be displayed on the screen, and customers can receiveand coupons through the pump's receipt printer, according to an article in InformationWeek. Information about local restaurants, shops, and services will also be available to customers. Information will be accessed via a touch -screen.
The next step? Enable the gas-pump Internet screens to inter-operate with cell phones and PDA's!
