This paper presents our vision of Human Computer Interaction (HCI): "Tangible Bits." Tangible Bits allows users to "grasp & manipulate" bits in the center of users’ attention by coupling the bits with everyday physical objects and architectural surfaces. Tangible Bits also enables users to be aware of background bits at the periphery of human perception using ambient display media such as light, sound, airflow, and water movement in an augmented space. The goal of Tangible Bits is to bridge the gaps between both cyberspace and the physical environment, as well as the foreground and background of human activities. This paper describes three key concepts of Tangible Bits: interactive surfaces; the coupling of bits with graspable physical objects; and ambient media for background awareness. We illustrate these concepts with three prototype systems ‐ the metaDESK, transBOARD and ambientROOM ‐ to identify underlying research issues.

http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~ullmer/papers/tangible-bits.pdf

Tangible bits: towards seamless interfaces between people, bits and atoms

A user interface is that portion of an interactive computer system that communicates with the user. Design of the user interface includes any aspect of the system that is visible to the user. Once, all computer users were specialists in computing, and interfaces consisted of jumper wires in patch boards, punched cards (q.v.) prepared offline, and batch printouts. Today a wide range of nonspecialists use computers, and keyboards, mice, and graphical displays are the most common interface hardware. The user interface is becoming a larger and larger portion of the software in a computer system--and a more important portion, as broader groups of people use computers. As computers become more powerful, the critical bottleneck in applying computer-based systems to solve problems is more often in the user interface rather than in the computer hardware or software.

User interface

We present steps toward a conceptual framework for tangible user interfaces. We introduce the MCRpd interaction model for tangible interfaces, which relates the role of physical and digital representations, physical control, and underlying digital models. This model serves as a foundation for identifying and discussing several key characteristics of tangible user interfaces. We identify a number of systems exhibiting these characteristics, and situate these within 12 application domains. Finally, we discuss tangible interfaces in the context of related research themes, both within and outside of the human-computer interaction domain.

/pdf/emerging-frameworks-for-tangible-user-interfaces-254dznxose.pdf

Emerging frameworks for tangible user interfaces

Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of Human-Computer Interaction is a radical departure from traditional books that emphasize theory and address experts. This book focuses on the realities of product development, showing how user interaction scenarios can make usability practices an integral part of interactive system development. As you'll learn, usability engineering is not the application of inflexible rules; it's a process of analysis, prototyping, and problem solving in which you evaluate tradeoffs, make reasoned decisions, and maximize the overall value of your product.

Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of Human-Computer Interaction

Several published sets of usability heuristics were compared with a database of existing usability problems drawn from a variety of projects in order to determine what heuristics best explain actual usability problems. Based on a factor analysis of the explanations as well as an analysis of the heuristics providing the broadest explanatory coverage of the problems, a new set of nine heuristics were derived: visibility of system status, match between system and the real world, user control and freedom, consistency and standards, error prevention, recognition rather than recall, flexibility and efficiency of use, aesthetic and minimalist design, and helping users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors.

Enhancing the explanatory power of usability heuristics

In April 1981, Xerox announced the 8010 Star Information System, a new personal computer designed for offices. Consisting of a processor, a large display, a keyboard, and a cursor-control device (see photo I) , it is intended for business professionals who handle information. Star is a multifunction system combining document creation, data processing, and electronic filing, mailing, and printing. Document creation includes text editing and formatting, graphics editing, mathematical formula editing, and page layout. Data processing deals with homogeneous, relational databases that can be sorted, filtered, and formatted under user control. Filing is an example of a network service utilizing the Ethernet local-area network (see references 9 and 13). Files may be stored on a work station's disk, on a file server on

Designing the star user interface

A description is given of the Xerox 8010 Star information system, which was designed as an office automation system. The idea was that professionals in a business or organization would have workstations on their desks and would use them to produce, retrieve, distribute, and organize documentation, presentations, memos, and reports. All of the workstations in an organization would be connected via Ethernet and would share access to file servers, printers, etc. The distinctive features of Star are identified, and changes to the original design are examined. A history of Star development is included. Some lessons learned from designing Star are related. >

/pdf/the-xerox-star-a-retrospective-2c7qcshdga.pdf

The Xerox Star: a retrospective

In April 1981 Xerox announced the 8010 Star Information System, a new personal computer designed for office professionals who create, analyze, and distribute information. The Star user interface differs from that of other office computer systems by its emphasis on graphics, its adherence to a metaphor of a physical office, and its rigorous application of a small set of design principles. The graphic imagery reduces the amount of typing and remembering required to operate the system. The office metaphor makes the system seem familiar and friendly; it reduces the alien feel that many computer systems have. The design principles unify the nearly two dozen functional areas of Star, increasing the coherence of the system and allowing user experience in one area to apply in others.

Charles Irby

Papers

Designing the star user interface

The Xerox Star: a retrospective

The Xerox Star: a retrospective

The star user interface: an overview

The star user interface: an overview