Subtle User Interfaces

这项研究的重点是为下一代输入、输出和显示技术探索新的用户交互和可视化技术。随着计算稳步转移到移动使用环境，我们使用和交互的计算技术变得越来越异构，并且经常需要跨设备、使用上下文和物理空间的交错交互的混合。此外，多变的使用环境可以大大改变最适合人类与技术交流的输入和输出方式的类型。与过去不同的是，在过去，更多的静态使用场景是普遍存在的，而且这样一种特定的输入/输出模式可以在很长一段时间内被选择和使用，我们目前正在转向一种使用场景非常不稳定的情况，可以随着时间和空间的变化而快速变化。我们当前的用户界面和可视化策略并不能很好地适应随着使用环境的快速变化而处理交互模式的流畅切换。拟议研究的关键目标是开发一种统一的交互和可视化方法，当用户从一个设备和使用环境快速移动到另一个设备和使用环境时，能够在这些环境切换发生时顺利切换输入和输出设备和模式。为了支持这一点，研究还将探索更微妙和不太明确的输入和反馈形式，例如基于视觉的传感和微触觉反馈，它们可以帮助将界面连接在一起，并在从一种形式的交互转换到另一种形式时保持连续性。该方法将是构建创造性的新探索性界面之一，将在用户部署中用作探针，然后对界面进行经验评估，并将结果用于改进设计。由此产生的系统工件将大大偏离今天的接口，因此有可能改变我们在未来计算设备上消费和交互数据的方式。

This research is focused on exploring new user interaction and visualization techniques for a broad range of next generation input, output, and display technologies. As computing steadily moves to mobile usage environments, the computing technologies we use and interact with are becoming increasingly heterogeneous and often require a medley of interleaved interactions spanning devices, usage context, and physical space. Further, the variable environmental context of use can significantly alter the types of input and output modalities that are best suited for human communication with the technology. Unlike in the past, where more static usage scenarios were prevalent and as such a particular input/output modality could be chosen and used for a good chunk of time, we are currently moving to a situation where usage scenarios are very fluid and can rapidly change over time and space. Our current user interfaces and visualization strategies are not particularly well adapted to handling fluid switching of interaction modalities as usage context rapidly changes. The key objective in the proposed research is to develop a unified approach to interaction and visualization as users move from one device and usage context to another and back in rapid sequence, enabling smooth switching of input and output devices and modalities as these context switches happen. To support this, the research will also explore more subtle and less explicit forms of input and feedback, such as vision based sensing and micro haptic feeback, that could help tie the interface together and maintain a sense of continuity as one transitions from one form of interaction to another and back. The approach will be one of building creative new exploratory interfaces that will be used as probes in user deployments, followed by empirical evaluation of the interfaces, with the results being used to refine the designs. The resulting system artifacts will significantly deviate from the interfaces of today, and hence has the potential to alter the way we consume and interact with data on future computing devices.