Tactile Feedback Can Assist Vision During Mobile Interactions

We evaluated the use of rich tactile feedback in the task of scrolling through a long list of items. We used a hand-held device having a tactile transducer that could provide sensa-tions with temporal and spatial content. These capabilities were put to use in an interaction metaphor where input and tactile feedback were tightly coupled. We measured time-to-target and error rates, but also measured the time spent by participants to look at the screen. We found a 28 % decrease of reliance on vision when tactile feedback was enabled. Author Keyword