Natural user interface

Summary

In computing, a natural user interface (NUI) or natural interface is a user interface that is effectively invisible, and remains invisible as the user continuously learns increasingly complex interactions. The word "natural" is used because most computer interfaces use artificial control devices whose operation has to be learned. Examples include voice assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, touch and multitouch interactions on today's mobile phones and tablets, but also touch interfaces invisibly integrated into the textiles furnitures. An NUI relies on a user being able to quickly transition from novice to expert. While the interface requires learning, that learning is eased through design which gives the user the feeling that they are instantly and continuously successful. Thus, "natural" refers to a goal in the user experience – that the interaction comes naturally, while interacting with the technology, rather than that the interface itself is natural. This is contrasted with the id

Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_user_interface

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As computer technologies improve year by year, advanced and intuitive user interfaces become increasingly necessary to allow proper manipulation of various types of programs, in different fields and markets. In the case of haptic glove devices, a fraction of the fields that come to mind are rehabilitation after injury, training simulations to learn particular movements or even allowing surgeons to operate on a patient on the other side of the globe. The aim of this project is to design a haptic glove that is lightweight, simple, easy to manipulate while still being precise enough to perform as a user interface for virtual reality systems or any other applications it may have. Our system uses magneto-rheological actuators that act as breaks, while the transmission of these breaking forces from the actuators to the fingertips is achieved by a lightweight wire-based mechanism. The whole system is attached onto a glove to make it easy to wear and transport.

2011

Tangible Interfaces for Learning

Sébastien Cuendet

There have been many claims that Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) can have a positive impact on learning. Alleged benefits include increasing usability, improving engagement and collaboration of students, and providing a better perception of the task, especially spatial ones. However, there exists little empirical data to back up these claims. Moreover, for all their potential benefits for learning, TUIs are still scarcely used in schools. This thesis explores these two issues in the specific context of vocational education and training of carpenter apprentices. The learning objectives concern spatial skills and in particular, the mapping between 2D and 3D representations. We study (1) whether TUIs can support the training of spatial skills, and if so what features allow them to do so, and (2) what kinds of classroom pedagogical scenarios TUIs can support. We follow a design-based research approach and run empirical studies, mostly in classrooms. The contributions of this thesis touch on three research domains:

Spatial skills. Our results show that TUIs can help teach spatial skills to carpenter apprentices. The tangible nature of TUIs can help the learner relate multiple representations of an object, especially for difficult problems. It can also lower the barrier to entry into a learning domain for beginners.
Learning with TUIs. According to our results, TUIs can benefit learning, but the mere fact of using TUIs does not guarantee learning. Instead, special attention needs to be given to the design of the TUI. Small design variations, such as the physical correspondence between the tangible object and its virtual representations, or the type and timing of feedback given to the user, can have a significant impact on learning.
Classroom technologies and orchestration. We explore several classroom pedagogical scenarios that TUIs can support. The most promising one is to use a TUI as part of a hybrid classroom learning activity that includes both TUI and non TUI steps. Additionally, we devise two ways to promote the integration of TUIs in classroom. First, we introduce 5 design principles that reduce the classroom orchestration load. Second, we show how new web technologies can be used to deploy TUIs in schools at a lower cost.

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Digital Libraries

Thuy Le Nguyen

Digital libraries are libraries in which collections are stored in a digital format (the metadata at least). Digital libraries are now being made publicly available. However, building good user interfaces to query heterogeneous libraries requires to have a good knowledge on the type of available information (e.g. which attributes are useful for filtering). In this project, we harvest (using the Z39.50 and OAI-PMH protocol) and analyze (in terms of useful attributes for querying) four important digital libraries: Nebis (five million items), Infoscience (sixty thousand items), CiteSeer (seven hundred thousand items) and The European Library (one and a half million items).

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Spatial skills. Our results show that TUIs can help teach spatial skills to carpenter apprentices. The tangible nature of TUIs can help the learner relate multiple representations of an object, especially for difficult problems. It can also lower the barrier to entry into a learning domain for beginners.
Learning with TUIs. According to our results, TUIs can benefit learning, but the mere fact of using TUIs does not guarantee learning. Instead, special attention needs to be given to the design of the TUI. Small design variations, such as the physical correspondence between the tangible object and its virtual representations, or the type and timing of feedback given to the user, can have a significant impact on learning.
Classroom technologies and orchestration. We explore several classroom pedagogical scenarios that TUIs can support. The most promising one is to use a TUI as part of a hybrid classroom learning activity that includes both TUI and non TUI steps. Additionally, we devise two ways to promote the integration of TUIs in classroom. First, we introduce 5 design principles that reduce the classroom orchestration load. Second, we show how new web technologies can be used to deploy TUIs in schools at a lower cost.

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