Tangible User Interfaces

What are Tangible User Interfaces?
Tangible user interfaces are user interfaces that allows a user to interact with digital information using physical objects. They consists of 4 characteristics such as:

1. Physical representations are computionally coupled to underlying digital information

2. Physical representations embody mechanisms for interactive control

3. Physical representations are perceptually coupled to actively mediated digital representations

4. Physical state of tangibles embodies key aspects of the digital state of a system.

Examples of Tangible User Interfaces

Computer mouse
Although we use a computer mouse everyday, many of us do not realise that this device is actually an example of a tangible user interface. The user drag the mouse on a flat surface to move the pointer on the computer screen. The direct relationship between the movement of the mouse and pointer on the screen has allowed the user to operate the computer easily.

Microsoft Surface
Microsoft Surface is a system that is designed to look like a table and has a multi-touch display which allows many users to use it at the same time. It has the ability to detect objects that are placed on it and provide users with many functions to manipulate these objects such as transferring photos via different devices. The video below shows how Microsoft Surface can be used.

Reactable
Reactable is a musical instrument designed to create and perform music. It is a clear and glowing round table with plucks placing on its surface. The users are able to turn the plucks and connect them to other plucks to create music with different elements such as synthesizers, effects, sample loops and control elements. When the pluck is placed on the surface, the pluck lights up and interact with other plucks. Music becomes tangible with Reactable as the user is able to see these interactions on the surface. The video below shows the usage of Reactable.

Tangible User Interface Alarm Clock (TUI-AC)
TUI-AC is an innovative alarm clock which consists of a ball and a pull-ring. The user set an alarm by pulling the ring out of the ball and throw it like a grenade. The pull-ring contains a sensor which measures the distance between the ball and itself. The alarm is louder when the ball is thrown further away from the pull-ring. When the alarm rings, the user needs to get up from bed to find the ball and insert the ring into the ball in order to switch off the alarm. TUI-AC is very useful for people who have difficulty waking up every morning.

References:

http://www.bluehaired.com/2010/05/what-are-tangible-user-interfaces-2/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VfpVYYQzHs

http://www.reactable.com/products/reactable_experience/reactable/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA29AE6O69k

http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/02/03/grenade-alarm-deluxe/

Understanding Brain Computer Interface

Have you ever wanted to communicate with others or move objects using only your mind just like the characters you saw in the movies? Isn't it great to be able to do it? This is now becoming a reality with the development of Brain Computer Interface (BCI). BCI is defined as a system of interaction between the brain and a device.

How BCI works?

A set of electrodes called electroencephalograph (EEG) is attached to the scalp or implanted onto the specific brain surface to receive better and more accurate signal. The EEG measure differences in the voltage between brain cells. This signal is then magnified, filtered and read by a software. BCI works in reverse for its input to the brain. The signal such as video is converted into voltages that are sent to the EEG and activate the brain cells. The person will then receives the signal of the video.

Application of BCI

One of the applications of BCI is for entertainment. The mind of a user can be used as a controller to control a video games or replace a remote control to change the channels of television. An application for entertainment is the release of a toy called "Star Wars Force Trainer". It uses a headset to detect concentration signal from the user's brain. When the user concentrates, the headset receives the signal and transmit it to a microchip that switches on the fan and lift up the ball inside the clear tube.

Another application of BCI is the implementation of devices that can help disabled people to live normally. The disabled person can use his mind to control such device to overcome his physical difficulties. He first visualises an action with a headset attached to allow the software to learn the brain signals. After a few tries, the user thinks about the action to transmit the brain signals to the device which will read the signal and execute the action. Some examples of such devices are robotic arm and mouse cursor.

Here is a video of Tan Le, co-founder and president of Emotiv Systems, showing how a user controls the computer with his mind using BCI.

Limitation of BCI

There are still challenges when implementing BCI.

1) Complexity of the brain

The electric signals from the brain do not totally determine a person's thought and action. There are also chemical process that the EEG cannot read.

2) Weak signals received by the EEG

These brain signals are so weak and small that they are easily interfered by signals generated by other actions.

3) Inconvenience of BCI equipments

Some BCI need a wired connection to their equipments. Although there are BCI that are wireless, they still require the user to carry a computer around. 

These challenges can be overcome with research and development of BCI. The EEG can be improved to receive better brain signals and the equipment of BCI can become wireless and lighter. With these challenges being overcome, I believe that this technology will be able to benefit us in making our lives more convenient in future.

References:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/brain-computer-interface.htm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529539,00.html?test=latestnews 

http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/health/item_stXSQqoYKMpk1K9JA7nlaM;jsessionid=B0D04CC037B9E4FD4CB316414596797A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40L3SGmcPDQ

User Reading Patterns

There are certain reading patterns that users follow when reading content on a web page - the most prominent of these is the "F shaped reading pattern". Research from Nielsen Norman Group's usability studies has revealed that the majority of users scan a web page in the shape of the letter F. The study involved 232 users, and this pattern holds across web pages and different content. There are three main components to this pattern:

1. Users will read the top part of the page horizontally, forming the top bar of the F. 
2. Users then skip some content and read horizontally again. This forms the middle bar of the F, and tends to be shorter than the top bar.
3. Users then skim over the rest of the page vertically, creating the leg of the F. Depending on the user, this skimming can be either slow or fast.

Heatmaps of user viewing patterns. Red regions are where the user spent most of their time, followed by yellow and blue. 

It is easy to discern the F pattern by looking at the above images. It is more discernible in the middle image than the other two since it is a rough pattern that users follow rather than a strict rule that everyone follows. Nevertheless, there are important implications.

This study reveals that users do not read the majority of content on a page. There are certain sections that they are most attentive to, and they just skim the rest of the page. Since they are most attentive to the content at the top of the page, the most important content should be placed there. If the page is a news article, the content at the top of the page should be interesting and compelling enough to convince the reader to stay. On an e-commerce site, the most important content such as payment information, pricing details, etc should be placed at the top. On a search site, the most important results should be placed at the top. Though users will likely skim content after the first 2 paragraphs, Nielsen suggests a method to draw users in while they are skimming. By starting paragraphs with information carrying words, users are more likely to be engaged in the content.

Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

Windows 8!

On 1st June 2011, at the D9 conference in Redmond, Washington; Microsoft demonstrated the next generation of Windows for the first time, internally code-named Windows 8. And on 29th February 2012, Microsoft released the consumer edition of Windows 8. In the first day of its release, the Consumer Preview was allegedly downloaded more than one million times.

Here is a video of the process that the developers went through while building Windows 8.

It features a new Metro-style interface that is designed for touchscreen, keyboard, mouse, and pen input. And for the first time since Windows 95, the Windows start button is no longer available - having been replaced by a sliding panel-based menu. The tile-based Start screen is similar to the Windows Phone operating system. Each tile on the screen represents one application and displays relevant information. For instance, an email app will display the number of unread messages and a weather app will display the temperature and humidity ratio  etc. The scalable, full screen views of the apps is customisable.

Utmost care has been taken to ensure that the OS is now more flexible and customizable. This ensure a more personal approach for the user.

• The inviting lock screen which can be personalized to heart's content
• The log-in page has gotten a face lift
• Simplified Control Panel, Task Manager, Windows Explorer and the onscreen Volume Bar
• As the user begins to configure his Twitter, RSS feeds, Facebook, preferred weather location and other such things, the home screen grows more and more personal.

Due to the touchscreen capability introduced, the following features that are supported become more meaningful:

• Fluid and natural switching between running apps
• Ability to snap and re-size an app to fit the size of the screen. This facilitates multitasking using the capabilities of Windows.
• Picture password, which allows users to log in by drawing three gestures in different places on a picture. This is in addition to a PIN login system that authenticates users using a four digit PIN

The default font size for the widgets such as the control panel has been increased as compared to the previous versions of Windows. Quite evidently, this is again to support the touchscreen functionality.

The Task manager now looks a lot more personalized and easier to understand as compared to the one that we currently see in the other Windows versions.

Although the new interface is designed and optimized for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and a keyboard. In trying to add new features, Microsoft has not compromised on the existing features. It also works on a wide range of screen sizes and pixel densities, from small slates to laptops, desktops, all-in-ones,  and even classroom sized displays.

The apps use the power of HTML5 and standard JavaScript to tap into the capabilities of Windows. The apps can use a broad new set of libraries and controls designed for fluid interaction and connectivity. They can add new capabilities to Windows and to other apps, connecting to one another through the new interface.

There are quite a few limitations that seem to curb the usability:

• The totally new revamp of the layout has left many users confused. It's not obvious enough how to shut down the PC or put it to sleep. The Escape key can no longer be used to exit programs. Instead it now serves the function of leaving the Start screen and returning to app that you were last using. To leave an app, you have to press the Start button - similar to tapping the home button on a mobile phone. 
• Necessity to use a lot of short cuts in-spite of them being limited and inconsistent. For example, the Start-Tab can be pressed to toggle between open apps, but only two

There's a lot more to come before the Beta version is released in probably another half a years time!

References:
1. Previewing 'Windows 8' by Julie Larson-Green
2. That Windows 8 Experience? Confusing. Confusing as hell - The Guardian
3. Windows 8 on a laptop In-depth preview by Dana Wollman