Human‐computer interaction in ubiquitous computing environments

J.H. Abawajy, J.H. Abawajy
2009 International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications  
Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Maliha Omar for her help in completing this paper. Abstract Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore characteristics of human-computer interaction when the human body and its movements become input for interaction and interface control in pervasive computing settings. Design/methodology/approach -The paper quantifies the performance of human movement based on Fitt's Law and discusses some of the human factors and technical considerations
more » ... at arise in trying to use human body movements as an input medium. Findings -The paper finds that new interaction technologies utilising human movements may provide more flexible, naturalistic interfaces and support the ubiquitous or pervasive computing paradigm. Practical implications -In pervasive computing environments the challenge is to create intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. Application domains that may utilize human body movements as input are surveyed here and the paper addresses issues such as culture, privacy, security and ethics raised by movement of a user's body-based interaction styles. Originality/value -The paper describes the utilization of human body movements as input for interaction and interface control in pervasive computing settings. likely to border upon mind-boggling. In addition, as the computer itself becomes invisible, the nature and quality of interactions and interfaces that were once seen against the backdrop of the "machine" will be highlighted. Last but not least, as the numbers of people interacting with computers increases many times, the goal of making the benefits of this technology universally accessible becomes more pressing. Thus, pervasive computing will require a revolution in human-computer interaction for interacting with small, distributed, and often embedded devices which must present a unified interface to users. The main goal of pervasive computing is to make computing and technology simple to use, everywhere around us, accessible to people with minimal technical expertise, reliable and more intuitive. To achieve some of these objectives, pervasive computing will require a new methods for design and development of user interfaces that do not make assumptions about the available input and output devices. In pervasive computing, input will be moved beyond the explicit nature of keyboards-based input and selection (from pointing devices) to a greater variety of input technologies. In particular, a shift from explicit means of human input to more implicit forms of inputs that support more natural human forms of communication (such as handwriting, speech, and gestures) will become prevalent. This means, users will be able to interact naturally with computers in the same way face-to-face human-human interaction takes place.
doi:10.1108/17427370910950311 fatcat:x65afhl3oradjmjoul534743fa