Framing TEI

Abstract

TEI—richer forms of human–computer interaction (HCI) that interlink the physical and digital worlds. For example, the vision of ubiquitous computing—profound interconnected technologies that disappear by “weaving themselves into the fabric of everyday life,” introduced by Weiser [1991] at Xerox PARC in 1991—has inspired numer­ ous researchers and practitioners. In a 2004 paper titled “Bottles: A Transparent Interface as a Tribute to Mark Weiser,” Hiroshi Ishii addressed a misinterpreta­ tion of the concept of ubiquitous computing, which focused on the “anything and anyplace computing” rather than on the transparency of technology and the user interface, and shared an inspiring personal communication with Mark Weiser that highlights a fruitful exchange of ideas. Weiser and Brown’s [1996] concept of calm technology was developed in parallel with the Tangible Bits vision [Ishii and Ullmer 1997] during the ’90s, emphasizing the engagement of both the center and the periphery of our attention and inspiring research on ambient displays. Another influential area is that of tangible augmented reality [Kato et al. 2001], particu­ larly Wellner’s [1993] DigitalDesk, which used projection to augment tangible paper objects on a desk. These ideas have also inspired the research area of Interactive Surfaces and Spaces, which combines novel interaction techniques and emerging technologies. We begin this chapter by surveying these research areas and their shared aspira­ tions. We also consider theoretical frameworks that view TEI as part of an emerging generation of HCI or of a larger interaction paradigm. Framing TEI