It's Alive! Perceptions of a Soft Tangible User Interface

Abstract

ForceForm is a dynamically deformable interactive touch surface in which lumps and valleys can be formed, which feels soft to the touch. Our aims are twofold: to better understand how users perceive interaction that feels soft, and to witness users' instinctive interaction when presented with such a device. We use a grounded theory approach that involves discussing the qualitative research gathered from a focus group of artists. The focus group revealed that ForceForm is perceived as an organic user interface and invites a full hand interaction experience. In addition, some unexpected perceptions of the system were revealed, highlighting the importance of focus groups for new tangible user interfaces Show more