Experimental Input and Output

ExperimentalInput andOutputOverview of concepts, visions and arguments for extending conventional interaction techniques

David Lamas & Zahhar Kirillov, TLU, 2011

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Alternative approaches

Ubiquitous computing

Design considerations



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Enhancing current input and output devicesKeyboards

Pointing devices

High-degree of freedom devices

Composite devices

Video input/output devices

Audio input/output devices

Printers

Modelers



Exploring assistive input and output technologiesDevices that provide essential accessibility to computers for

those with significant vision, hearing, dexterity and mobility, language and communication, or learning needs, such as

Alternative keyboards featuring larger or smaller-than-standard keys or keyboards, alternative key configurations, and keyboards for use with one hand

Electronic pointing devices used to control the cursor on the screen without use of hands using ultrasound, infrared beams, eye movements, nerve signals, or brain waves



Sip-and-puff systems, which are activated by inhaling or exhaling

Wands and sticks worn on the head, held in the mouth or strapped to the chin and used to press keys on the keyboard

Joysticks manipulated by hand, feet, chin, and used to control the cursor on screen

Trackballs to move the cursor on screen

Touch screens, which allow direct selection or activation of the computer by touching the screen, making it easier to select an option directly rather than through a mouse movement or keyboard



Discover ubiquitous computingWhich is what we are about to do!






A term coined at the 1990s at Xerox PARC to describe a program addressing the issue that…“technology is part of accomplishing social action and that

personal computers are too complex and hard to use, to demanding of attention, too isolating from other people and activities, and to dominating”

These ideas were described by Xerox PARC’s CTO (Mark Weiser) in his 1991 article on the “The Computer in the 21st Century” published in the Scientific American magazineA sharp contrast to then perceived computing state of the art

technologies such as portable computers and virtual reality



According to Mark Weiser…The idea of integrating computers seamless into the world

at large runs counter to a number of present-day trends. Ubiquitous computing is this context does not just mean computers that can be carried down to the beach, jungle or airport. Even the most powerful notebook computer, with access to a worldwide information network, still focuses attention on a single box.



(Still) according to Mark Weiser…Perhaps most diametrically opposed to our vision is the

notion of virtual reality, which attempts to make a world inside the computer. Although it may have its purpose in allowing people to explore realms otherwise inaccessible, virtual reality is only a map, not a territory. It excludes desks, offices, other people not wearing goggles or body suits… Virtual reality focuses an enormous apparatus on simulating the world rather than on invisibly enhancing the world that exists.



(Still) according to Mark Weiser…Most of the computers that participate in embodied virtually

will be invisible in fact as well as in metaphor. Already computers in light switches, thermostats, stereos and ovens help to activate the world. These machines and more will be interconnected in a ubiquitous network.



Weiser wrote this paper in the pre-Web eraHis vision of many small and powerful computers, in different

sizes, working simultaneously for one person (or small group) as simply unaffordable

It wasn’t until 2005 that his vision begun to take place

Although enabling technologies started to become available earlier, only in 2005 a range of industry factors made possible efficient development of products fitting Weiser’s vision of ubiquitous computing


Side note

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In 2005CPU technology prices fall to the point that information processing is

now powerful and inexpensive

The internet becomes familiar with clear social and commercial benefits (outside the scientific and engineering communities)

Communication and data exchange protocols are now mature and widespread

Digital telephony is firmly established and many people carry lightweight computers in the form of mobile phones

Wireless communication becomes common and successful with millions of access points throughout the world

Designers spent the first dotcom boom developing a wide range of interactive products and are now experienced with interaction design for networked services


Moore’s law

To understand why ubiquitous computing is particularly relevant today, it is valuable to look closely to an unexpected corollary of Moore’s law


Moore’s law

Gordon Moore’s initial assertion on semiconductor industry’s profit margin is usually paraphrased as a law predicting that processor transistor densities would double every two years

An unexpected corollary of Moore’s Law is that as new information processing technology gets more powerful, older technology gets cheaper without becoming any less powerful


Moore’s law


Moore’s law

Since new technology gets more powerful very quickly, old technology drops in price just as quickly

And again, although older technology gets cheaper, it looses none of its ability to process information

Thus, older information processing technology is still really powerful but now it is really cheap

At the time of its release, the i486 processor cost about €1200 (in 2010 Euros) and could execute 16 MIPS

Today a processor like the ATTiny offers the same level or performance by €0.40


Moore’s law corollary

Moore’s law corollary depicted in a graph conceptually portraying three eras of modern computing…

…and highlighting the fact that nowadays we no longer measure the ICT density in terms of person per computer but rather in terms of computers person


But what is ubiquitous computing?

Ubiquitous computing refers to the practice of embedding information processing and network communication in everyday, human environments to continuously provide services, information and communicationAnd this is what ubiquitous computing, UBICOMP for friends,

is all about



It is also conceptualized as Pervasive computingPervasive computing refers to the prevalence of this new

mode of using digital technology

The term also refers to the increasing integration of ICT into people’s lives and environments, made possible by the growing availability of microprocessors with inbuilt communications facilities



It is also conceptualized as Physical ComputingPhysical computing describes how people interact with

computing through physical objects, rather than in an online or on monolithic, general purpose computers



It is also conceptualized as Ambient IntelligenceAmbient intelligence describes how these devices appear to

integrate algorithmic reasoning (intelligence) into human-built spaces so that it becomes part of the atmosphere (ambient) of the environment



It is also conceptualized as the Internet of ThingsThe Internet of Things suggests a world in which digitally

identifiable objects relate to each other in a way that is analogous to how purely digital information is organized on the Internet (specifically, the Web)



So, although…Ubiquitous computing

Pervasive computing

Physical computing

Ambient intelligence

The internet of things

…all carry slightly different meaning, they end up being the different aspects of the same phenomenonThe fact that nowadays we no longer measure the ICT density

in terms of person per computer but rather in terms of computers person






Rapidly evolving technology and changing social patterns have made identifying best ubiquitous computing design practices difficult

Ubiquitous computing products are hybrids of hardware, software and servicesIt is still not clear what skills are required to design such

products much less what the titles of the people who hold those skills should be



It is however clear that the following design disciplines do contribute, in some extent, to designing ubiquitous computing products:Identity design

Interface design

Industrial design

Interaction design

Service design

Information architecture


Identity design

The identity is what makes the product memorable and unique

It is what carries much of the emotional weight of the product and, in some cases, might even rival its functionality


Interface design

Interface design is the design of a single mode of functionality

This could be a single screen in a software (or web) application or may be the way a single function works in a deviceInterface design hence emphasizes aspects such as task

flow, feedback and consistency over other aspects of the overall design


Industrial design

Ubiquitous computing products are, for the most part, physical objects

Unlike software, they have shape, texture, color, weight, temperature, and buttons, and dials and displaysFor instance, an ATM requires specialized controls and these

controls must match the ergonomic requirements, the capabilities of construction materials, the heat and power properties of the device, etc…


Interaction design

When using a device or environment, people need to understand how to accomplish their goalsThey need to know what choices are available and how to

make them

Interaction design determines how the various user interfaces fit and flow together as a whole


Information design

Much interaction design focus on getting input into a device but output is just as important

Information designers visually organize and prioritize representations of information to match people’s needs and maximize clarity


Service design

From a business perspective, service design unifies the way users interact with an organization to create a consistent set of methods to relate to a company

From the user perspective, service design creates the tools that people use to access a service in concert with designing the service itself

In other words…Rather than treating tools as individual consumer facing

products and the service itself as a purely internal project, service design treats them as different facets of the same thing thus promoting consistancy


Information architecture

Every information and navigation task requires an information architecture that matches users’ needs, expectations, and understanding


Back to design considerations

When designing ubiquitous computing devices the frame is no longer the chrome around a browser windowThe frame is the world

In this sense, designing an ubiquitous computing product today is designing probably something for the first timeAnd designing something for the first time requires special

attention to the social and cultural environment in which these products will be used


Interaction metaphors

As said before…Designing new technologies with unfamiliar interactions is a

constant challenge in ubiquitous computing.

How can an object that may not be obviously computational communicate its capabilities without requiring enormous amounts of external documentation or training?Mapping one category of ideas to another is the basis of

metaphor which have long been part of how we think about design


Information as a material

Finally, it is worth considering the implications of thinking of information as a material

In this case:Information processing no longer needs to be the purpose of

an object, but one of the many qualities that enables it to be useful and desirable in ways that are more directly related to people’s wants and needs


Information as a material

Once information is considered a design material, it becomes possible to ask a new range of questions about it:What are the properties of information as a design material?

How can information processing be used by designers?

How well is information processing used today? Can better use be made of it?

Will adding information processing create a better functional experience? A better esthetic experience?


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Experimental Input and Output