Physical User Interfaces

From my talk at CodeCumbria (November 2013) on using your phone as a secondary control device.

Re-recorded at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLMx2LFnIyM&feature=youtu.be

Transcript

1. Physical User Interfaces More than touch Andrew Donaldson @adonaldson
2. Current tech Means of interacting with computers • Keyboards • Mice • Touchscreens • Trackpads • Leapmotion
3. An aside: Sonos Control • A device that lets you browse music in your library and control your wireless speakers • Another remote control • £250!
4. An aside: Garmin Edge • Record where you’ve been • Plug into computer, transmit data • £250!
5. Thought • Why don’t we use our phones more? Going further: • Why don’t we use our phones at the same time as our computers, more.
6. Flip to focus • Time tracking app with a button to start recording time • How to interest users into taking part
7. Flip to focus (benefits) • Focus: You can’t play with your phone, it’s being used • Colleagues can have a (subtle) visual cue you’re busy • Physical action: I’m getting started
8. Flip to focus (tech) • Gyro sensors on phone to determine orientation • For webapps, requires calibration • Webapp keeps falling asleep
9. Revolution • Overly grand name • Selecting values based on feedback “I want to change my volume to 2” - No-one ever • Alternatively: Used to augment the flip in apps
10. Revolution (tech) • Compass sensor on phone to determine direction • Webapps keep falling asleep
11. Games workshop • Touchscreens don’t react to just fingers • Placing physical objects on your touchscreen • Tracking objects based on ‘finger’ patterns
12. In general: Limitations • Mobile web browsers are great, but are hamstrung by their OS. • To be practical, this stuff has to be native • Saving grace: realtime comms between servers and clients are always improving
13. Where next? • A customisable native app • Configure with gestures, trigger API requests • Opens the sandboxpit for everyone to play
14. Questions? Andrew Donaldson @adonaldson @cumbriapps