Facilitating peripheral interaction: design and evaluation of peripheral interaction for a gesture-based lighting control with multimodal feedback

Marigo Heijboer,Bert Bongers,Elise Van Den Hoven,Saskia Bakker

doi:10.1007/s00779-015-0893-5

Marigo Heijboer, Bert Bongers + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-015-0893-5

Copy DOI

Abstract

Most interactions with today’s interfaces require a person’s full and focused attention. To alleviate the potential clutter of focal information, we investigated how interactions could be designed to take place in the background or periphery of attention. This paper explores whether gestural, multimodal interaction styles of an interactive light system allow for this. A study compared the performance of interactions with the light system in two conditions: the central condition in which participants interacted only with the light system, and the peripheral condition in which they interacted with the system while performing a high-attentional task simultaneously. Our study furthermore compared different feedback styles (visual, auditory, haptic, and a combination). Results indicated that especially for the combination feedback style, the interaction could take place without participants’ full visual attention, and performance did not significantly decrease in the peripheral condition. This seems to indicate that these interactions at least partly took place in their periphery of attention and that the multimodal feedback style aided this process.

Highlights

In our everyday lives, we frequently interact with the digital world
As the light pointer was originally not developed as a peripheral interaction design we found it important to run an exploratory experiment with the original light pointer design and interaction styles before conducting our final experiment
The aim of the final experiment described in this paper was to evaluate whether gestural interactions with the light pointer can be performed in the periphery of attention

Summary

Introduction

We frequently interact with the digital world. While the human body allows for a broad range of interaction modalities to be used simultaneously, e.g., via movement of the body or sound [50], most digital interfaces rely heavily on the visual modality [10]. Interactions with a visual interface usually require a persons’ full and focused attention [19, 21] Such interactions are often difficult to be performed during other activities. We can be aware of all kinds of information, such as the weather or the time of day, without consciously focusing our attention on the information sources Activities such as walking, drinking, and processing information can be performed outside the focus of attention and instead be carried out in the background or periphery of attention. These types of activities can be considered peripheral actions. When it is necessary, such activities may shift to the center of attention, for example when almost walking into something

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion