Reference Information
Tangible Interfaces for Download: Initial Observations from Users' Everyday Environments
- Enrico Costanza, Matteo Giaccone, Olivier Küng, Simon Shelley, and Jeffrey Huang
- CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Tangible Interfaces for Download: Initial Observations from Users' Everyday Environments
- Enrico Costanza, Matteo Giaccone, Olivier Küng, Simon Shelley, and Jeffrey Huang
- CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
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| An Audio d-touch example as setup by the designers. |
Summary
This paper opened with an explanation of tangible user interfaces (TUI’s). A TUI uses physical objects to represent the meaning and function of something else. A good example of this is being able to intuitively understanding what an icon does when it is clicked. The writer of this paper designed a TUI called Audio d-touch, which is a drum machine and sequencer. The significance of this TUI is that it is the first low-cost TUI readily available for the masses. The parts required to use it are cheap, and it is operated by arranging objects on the surface of a piece of paper. The placement of the objects is what generates the beats. After collecting data from the usage of this TUI, it was determined that users enjoyed Audio d-touch very much and it was a success. They plan on developing more low-cost TUI’s to continue adding to the field.
This paper opened with an explanation of tangible user interfaces (TUI’s). A TUI uses physical objects to represent the meaning and function of something else. A good example of this is being able to intuitively understanding what an icon does when it is clicked. The writer of this paper designed a TUI called Audio d-touch, which is a drum machine and sequencer. The significance of this TUI is that it is the first low-cost TUI readily available for the masses. The parts required to use it are cheap, and it is operated by arranging objects on the surface of a piece of paper. The placement of the objects is what generates the beats. After collecting data from the usage of this TUI, it was determined that users enjoyed Audio d-touch very much and it was a success. They plan on developing more low-cost TUI’s to continue adding to the field.
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| A user setup of the Audio d-touch system. |
Discussion
Its existence should have been obvious, but I was unaware of this TUI field of CHI. I have wanted to mess around with making electronic music for awhile, so this program sounds very interesting to me. Just as the intuitive design of icon layout and functional appearance seems to have drastically improved over the years, it seems like this kind of research can drastically improve it even more. I really hope they do continue their research and create more interesting TUI’s for people to try out. If I ever have the free time, I might even try some of these out myself one day.
Its existence should have been obvious, but I was unaware of this TUI field of CHI. I have wanted to mess around with making electronic music for awhile, so this program sounds very interesting to me. Just as the intuitive design of icon layout and functional appearance seems to have drastically improved over the years, it seems like this kind of research can drastically improve it even more. I really hope they do continue their research and create more interesting TUI’s for people to try out. If I ever have the free time, I might even try some of these out myself one day.
I too think that this research has seem to make good progress over the years and from their related work section. I think neat tool as well, you never really know when you're going to come across a publication that connects to something of your interest.
ReplyDeleteI would like to find such an interface that better meets my interests so that I can try it out. But definitively, it would be fun to even set this one up and just experience how it works.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by this technology as well, but I wonder if it can be expanded for general use, or if it will be pidgeonholed to specialty applications.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. I've used Fruityloops and Reason to make electronic music before, but the interface is a little sluggish and unintuitive with a mouse. Granted, I could go out and buy thousands of dollars of real equipment, but this could be a very effective input device for a software sequencer like Reason. Like Patrick, I want to see where this idea will go with respect to more generalized use.
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