Evaluating a thermal icon for the enhancement of mobile feedback perception in noisy and bumpy environments

Abstract

The shortcoming of commonly used mobile feedbacks, e.g., audio and vibrotactile, is that they are often not suitable for some environments, such as in very loud and bumpy locations. The aim of this experiment is to evaluate how much thermal feedback increases user perception of mobile feedback in the situations where the audio and vibrotactile feedbacks may be suppressed due to noise and vibration. The two situations with interference, i.e., noise and vibration, were simulated. The perception of uni- and multimodal feedbacks, combined with a cold thermal icon, was tested as a means of a mobile device delivering notifications to users. Eleven stimuli were presented to subjects while six of those with the thermal icon were applied to the wrist of subjects. Experimental results showed that thermal feedback has potentials to be used solo or together with other feedbacks to enhance user perception in unsuitable situations. Furthermore, multimodal feedbacks, especially those with thermal stimulus, were reported to be more detectable than others. These insights indicate that thermal feedback may provide a salient alternative for user notification in modern mobile and wearable devices.