Foundations of Transparency in Tactile Information Design

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Haptic Technology
• Information Display

Background:

• Contemporary literature on unimodal, single-site tactile information display is reviewed.
• Progress towards transparent communication with minimal attentional load is discussed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To contextualize current research in tactile information display.
• To identify necessary advances for realizing the benefits of current haptic technology.
• To frame discussion around potential utility, form, and learning.

Main Methods:

• Review of contemporary literature on tactile signal display.
• Discussion of evidence for advanced haptic display capabilities.
• Framing of required technological advances.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests greater potential for purely haptic displays than commonly assumed.
• Procedural developments support systematic design of transparent tactile displays.
• Focus on effective information representations and perceptually guided icon design.

Conclusions:

• Advances in tactile display technology are crucial for achieving transparent communication.
• Systematic design processes are needed for effective haptic information representation.
• The potential of calm technology, inspired by Weiser's vision, can be realized through haptic interfaces.