Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research

Information and communication technologies based teaching methodologies for Peruvian children with down syndrome

Learning disabilities are found in people that experience difficulties in the acquisition of basic intellectual skills, which are fundamental to succeeding at school, work or in life in general. An example of a learning disability is Down Syndrome (DS). Children with DS are usually unable to follow the traditional educational systems. As a result, these children need tailored methods and techniques that adapt to their learning styles. Therefore, new educational tools are being developed that allow Down Syndrome Children (DSC) to sharpen their intellectual capacities in a better way. In this research, we implemented and modified two literature-based mobile tools that could aid in acquiring mathematics and linguistic skills oriented towards DSC. We performed a quasi-experimentation to test the improvements in mathematics and language skills in a group of children with DS. Moreover, we found that measuring the response time of children with disabilities is a complex task; and the continuous assistance from a tutor was also found to be necessary. Despite the difficulties encountered, such as distraction from the children because of being curious to interact with a technological tool, the results show that it is possible to increment the mathematical and language skills in a group of DSC by using an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based tool in contrast with a classical teaching methodology without ICT tools

Review: Development and technical design of tangible user interfaces in wide-field areas of application

A tangible user interface or TUI connects physical objects and digital interfaces. It is more interactive and interesting for users than a classic graphic user interface. This article presents a descriptive overview of TUI's real-world applications sorted into ten main application areas-teaching of traditional subjects, medicine and psychology, programming, database development, music and arts, modeling of 3D objects, modeling in architecture, literature and storytelling, adjustable TUI solutions, and commercial TUI smart toys. The paper focuses on TUI's technical solutions and a description of technical constructions that influences the applicability of TUIs in the real world. Based on the review, the technical concept was divided into two main approaches: the sensory technical concept and technology based on a computer vision algorithm. The sensory technical concept is processed to use wireless technology, sensors, and feedback possibilities in TUI applications. The image processing approach is processed to a marker and markerless approach for object recognition, the use of cameras, and the use of computer vision platforms for TUI applications.Web of Science2113art. no. 425

Tangible user interfaces and social interaction in children with autism

Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) offer the potential for new modes of social interaction for children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Familiar objects that are embedded with digital technology may help children with autism understand the actions of others by providing feedback that is logical and predictable. Objects that move, playback sound or create sound – thus repeating programmed effects – offer an exciting way for children to investigate objects and their effects. This thesis presents three studies of children with autism interacting with objects augmented with digital technology. Study one looked at Topobo, a construction toy augmented with kinetic memory. Children played with Topobo in groups of three of either Typically Developing (TD) or ASC children. The children were given a construction task, and were also allowed to play with the construction sets with no task. Topobo in the task condition showed an overall significant effect for more onlooker, cooperative, parallel, and less solitary behaviour. For ASC children significantly less solitary and more parallel behaviour was recorded than other play states. In study two, an Augmented Knights Castle (AKC) playset was presented to children with ASC. The task condition was extended to allow children to configure the playset with sound. A significant effect in a small sample was found for configuration of the AKC, leading to less solitary behaviour, and more cooperative behaviour. Compared to non-digital play, the AKC showed reduction of solitary behaviour because of augmentation. Qualitative analysis showed further differences in learning phase, user content, behaviour oriented to other children, and system responsiveness. Tangible musical blocks (‘d-touch’) in study three focused on the task. TD and ASC children were presented with a guided/non-guided task in pairs, to isolate effects of augmentation. Significant effects were found for an increase in cooperative symbolic play in the guided condition, and more solitary functional play was found in the unguided condition. Qualitative analysis highlighted differences in understanding blocks and block representation, exploratory and expressive play, understanding of shared space and understanding of the system. These studies suggest that the structure of the task conducted with TUIs may be an important factor for children’s use. When the task is undefined, play tends to lose structure and the benefits of TUIs decline. Tangible technology needs to be used in an appropriately structured manner with close coupling (the distance between digital housing and digital effect), and works best when objects are presented in familiar form

Evaluation of a usability testing guide for mobile applications focused on people with Down syndrome (USATESTDOWN)

Usability testing of mobile applications involving people with Down syndrome is an issue that has not been comprehensively investigated. There is no single proposal that takes on board all the issues that could potentially be taken into account to deal with the specific needs of people with Down syndrome. We propose a guide for a usability testing process involving participants with Down syndrome. This guide is called USATESTDOWN. It is based on a literature review and experience gained at a number of workshops where people with Down syndrome used mobile devices. This paper briefly describes USATESTDOWN and its application at a special employment centre called PRODIS with 10 participants

Technology-enhanced support for children with Down Syndrome: A systematic literature review

This paper presents a systematic literature review on technology-enhanced support for children with Down Syndrome and young people who match the mental age of children considered neurotypical (NT). The main aim is threefold: to (1) explore the field of digital technologies designed to support children with Down Syndrome, (2) identify technology types, contexts of use, profiles of individuals with Down Syndrome, methodological approaches, and the effectiveness of such supports, and (3) draw out opportunities for future research in this specific area. A systematic literature review was conducted on five search engines resulting in a set of 703 articles, which were screened and filtered in a systematic way until they were narrowed to a corpus of 65 articles for further analysis. The synthesis identify several key findings: (1) there is diversity of technology supports available for children with Down Syndrome targeting individual capabilities, (2) overlapping definitions of technology makes it difficult to place technology supports in individual categories rather than subsets of a broader term, (3) the average sample size remained small for participants in the studies, making it difficult to draw solid conclusions on the effectiveness of the related interventions, (4) the distribution of papers indicates that this is an emerging area of research and is starting to build body of knowledge, and (5) there are limited studies on newer emerging technologies which requires further investigation to explore their potential

Evaluating a tactile and a tangible multi-tablet gamified quiz system for collaborative learning in primary education

[EN] Gamification has been identified as an interesting technique to foster collaboration in educational contexts. However, there are not many approaches that tackle this in primary school learning environments. The most popular technologies in the classroom are still traditional video consoles and desktop computers, which complicate the design of collaborative activities since they are essentially mono-user. The recent popularization of handheld devices such as tablets and smartphones has made it possible to build affordable, scalable, and improvised collaborative gamifled activities by creating a multi-tablet environment. In this paper we present Quizbot, a collaborative gamifled quiz application to practice different subjects, which can be defined by educators beforehand. Two versions of the system are implemented: a tactile for tablets laid on a table, in which all the elements are digital; and a tangible in which the tablets are scattered on the floor and the components are both digital and physical objects. Both versions of Quizbot are evaluated and compared in a study with eighty primary-schooled children in terms of user experience and quality of collaboration supported. Results indicate that both versions of Quizbot are essentially equally fun and easy to use, and can effectively support collaboration, with the tangible version outperforming the other one with respect to make the children reach consensus after a discussion, split and parallelize work, and treat each other with more respect, but also presenting a poorer time management.We would like to thank Universitat Politecnica de Valencia's Summer School for their collaboration during the development of this study, as well as Colegio Internacional Ausias March for their support in the development of educational content.This work is supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and funded by the European Development Regional Fund (EDRF-FEDER) with Project TIN2014-60077-R. It is also supported by fellowship ACIF/2014/214 within the VALi+d program from Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Esport (Generalitat Valenciana), and by fellowship FPU14/00136 within the FPU program from Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and SportGarcía Sanjuan, F.; El Jurdi, S.; Jaén Martínez, FJ.; Nácher-Soler, VE. (2018). Evaluating a tactile and a tangible multi-tablet gamified quiz system for collaborative learning in primary education. Computers & Education. 123:65-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.04.011S658412

Tecnologías y metodologías aplicadas en la enseñanza de la lectoescritura a personas con síndrome de Down

Hasta hace unas décadas, la mayoría de las personas con síndrome de Down no sabían leer ni escribir. La razón fundamental era atribuida a las características cognitivas propias, producto de la enfermedad congénita que padecen y a diferentes factores que son inherentes a esta población. Hoy día las nuevas tecnologías, aplicando metodologías tradicionales han logrado alcanzar un alto grado de desarrollo en la enseñanza de la lectoescritura en estas personas y facilitado la inclusión de ellas en la sociedad. El desarrollo de estas tecnologías plantea cambios importantes en la manera como habitualmente se aborda el problema de construcción de software, dadas las necesidades específicas de los futuros usuarios. En este trabajo se discuten los principales aspectos metodológicos y de diseño que deben tenerse en cuenta para abordar el desarrollo de aplicaciones para el apoyo a la enseñanza de la lectoescritura a personas con síndrome de Down y se realiza una revisión de las diferentes alternativas metodológicas y tecnológicas que se reportan en la literatura para tal fin

Innovación tecnológica para mejorar los procesos de lectura inicial en estudiantes con Síndrome de Down

En este libro, tenemos el agrado de presentar una investigación donde se implementaron dispositivos tecnológicos, para optimizar los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de la lectura y escritura en niños con Síndrome de Down. Su objetivo fue analizar la efectividad de una herramienta computacional basada en una interfaz de usuario tangible (TUI), como estímulo para un ambiente lúdico de interacción en el proceso de lectura inicial. El estudio se enmarca en un campo interdisciplinario en el que intervienen dos disciplinas: ciencias de la computación y educación especial. En la primera, el ámbito de acción se delimita al área de interacción humano-computador (HCI) y en la segunda en el área de la pedagogía. Estamos seguros que este libro será un gran aporte para la innovación tecnológica, en servicio de los procesos educativos de estudiantes con necesidades educativas especiales.Universidad Tecnológica Indoaméric