End-user vibration customization tools: Parameters and examples

Abstract

Summary form only given, as follows. Touch feedback (e.g., vibrations) can add to the expressiveness and utility of electronic devices, but users have a broad range of preferences as to their content and deployment. Rather than requiring of designers the nearly impossible task of pleasing everyone, we aim to empower users with easy-to-use tools that balance control with effort-of-use, for a desired degree of customizability. We focus in particular on affective qualities. In this demo, in the context of several application scenarios, we propose five parameters that can describe vibration customization tools, and demonstrate them with three tool concepts. Respectively, these follow themes of Choice (fast and convenient: choose individual stimuli), Filter (moderate control: modify base parameters of individual stimuli) and Block (high control: compose stimuli by arranging their component parts). Our aim is to open a discussion on end-user customization and tools, and learn of more contexts that could benefit from such an approach.