Evaluating haptics for information discovery while walking

Abstract

In this article we describe and evaluate a novel, low interac-tion cost approach to supporting the spontaneous discovery of geo-tagged information while on the move. Our mobile haptic prototype helps users to explore their environment by providing directional vibrotactile feedback based on the p-resence of location data. We conducted a study to investigate whether users can nd these targets while walking, compar-ing their performance when using only haptic feedback to that when using an equivalent visual system. The results are encouraging, and here we present our ndings, discussing their signicance and issues relevant to the design of future systems that combine haptics with location awareness