Canine computer interaction: towards designing a touchscreen interface for working dogs

Abstract

Touchscreens can provide a way for service dogs to relay emergency information about their handlers from a home or office environment. In this paper, we build on work exploring the ability of canines to interact with touchscreen interfaces. We observe new requirements for training and explain best practices found in training techniques. Learning from previous work, we also begin to test new dog interaction techniques such as lift-off selection and sliding gestural motions. Our goal is to understand the affordances needed to make touchscreen interfaces usable for canines and help the future design of touchscreen interfaces for assistance dogs in the home.