Evaluating haptics for information discovery while walking

In this article we describe and evaluate a novel, low interaction cost approach to supporting the spontaneous discovery of geo-tagged information while on the move. Our mobile haptic prototype helps users to explore their environment by providing directional vibrotactile feedback based on the presence of location data. We conducted a study to investigate whether users can nd these targets while walking, comparing their performance when using only haptic feedback to that when using an equivalent visual system. The results are encouraging, and here we present our ndings, discussing their signicance and issues relevant to the design of future systems that combine haptics with location awareness. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.2 [User Interfaces]: Haptic I/O, Interaction Styles General Terms Design, Experimentation, Human Factors Keywords Mobile computing, location-aware, haptics

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: BCSHCI
• Authors: Simon Robinson, Parisa Eslambolchilar, Matt Jones
• Keywords: BCSHCI 2007, BCSHCI 2009, Directional Vibrotactile Feedback, Interaction Cost Approach, Mobile Haptic Prototype