Rapid construction of functioning physical interfaces from cardboard, thumbtacks, tin foil and masking tape

ABSTRACT

Rapid, early, but rough system prototypes are becoming a standard and valued part of the user interface design process. Pen, paper, and tools like Flash™ and Director™ are well suited to creating such prototypes. However, in the case of physical forms with embedded technology, there is a lack of tools for developing rapid, early prototypes. Instead, the process tends to be fragmented into prototypes exploring forms that look like the intended product or explorations of functioning interactions that work like the intended product - bringing these aspects together into full design concepts only later in the design process. To help alleviate this problem, we present a simple tool for very rapidly creating functioning, rough physical prototypes early in the design process - supporting what amounts to interactive physical sketching. Our tool allows a designer to combine exploration of form and interactive function, using objects constructed from materials such as thumbtacks, foil, cardboard and masking tape, enhanced with a small electronic sensor board. By means of a simple and fluid tool for delivering events to "screen clippings," these physical sketches can then be easily connected to any existing (or new) program running on a PC to provide real or Wizard of Oz supported functionality.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Graphical user interfaces (GUI)

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors

Keywords:
rapid prototyping of physical interfaces, sketching of interactive physical forms, tools