Subtle, intimate interfaces for mobile human computer interaction

Abstract

The mobile phone is always carried with the user and is always active: it is a very personal device. It fosters and satisfies a need to be constantly connected to one's significant other, friends or business partners. At the same time, mobile devices are often used in public, where one is surrounded by others not involved in the interaction. This private interaction in public is often a cause of unnecessary disruption and distraction, both for the bystanders and even for the user. Nevertheless, mobile devices do fulfill an important function, informing of important events and urgent communications, so turning them off is often not practical nor possible. This thesis introduces Intimate Interfaces: discreet interfaces that allow subtle private interaction with mobile devices in order to minimize disruption in public and gain social acceptance. Intimate Interfaces are inconspicuous to those around the users, while still allowing them to communicate. The concept is demonstrated through the design, implementation and evaluation of two novel devices: * Intimate Communication Armband - a wearable device, embedded in an armband, that detects motionless gestures through electromyographic (EMG) sensing for subtle input and provides tactile output;

(cont.) * Notifying Glasses - a wearable notification display embedded in eyeglasses; it delivers subtle cues to the peripheral field of view of the wearer, while being invisible to others. The cues can convey a few bits of information and can be designed to meet specific levels of visibility and disruption. Experimental results show that both interfaces can be reliably used for subtle input and output. Therefore, Intimate Interfaces can be profitably used to improve mobile human-computer interaction.