Going to the dogs: towards an interactive touchscreen interface for working dogs

Abstract

Computer-mediated interaction for working dogs is an important new domain for interaction research. In domestic settings, touchscreens could provide a way for dogs to communicate critical information to humans. In this paper we explore how a dog might interact with a touchscreen interface. We observe dogs' touchscreen interactions and record difficulties against what is expected of humans' touchscreen interactions. We also solve hardware issues through screen adaptations and projection styles to make a touchscreen usable for a canine's nose touch interactions. We also compare our canine touch data to humans' touch data on the same system. Our goal is to understand the affordances needed to make touchscreen interfaces usable for canines and help the future design of touchscreen interfaces for assistive dogs in the home.