Suitable Parameters for Tacton Design in Touch Screen Interaction
Proceedings of the International Conference Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction (Lissabon 2017), page 77-85, *** Outstanding Research Award ***. IADIS Press, (2017)Abstract
Tactons are structured tactile messages and used to transmit information to users via the haptic sense. Common parameters (i.e. frequency, amplitude, rhythm, roughness, waveform, and duration) were examined and tested for discriminability to get valid information for tacton design in a touch screen interaction scenario. 51 participants took part in the experiment, which consisted of 98 randomized tasks. In each task, participants were presented two vibration signals via a touch screen and had to decide, whether signals were identical or different. Various combinations showed recognition rates above 90 \% and it became clear that some parameters are more suitable in tacton design than others. Frequency and roughness achieved the best results, involving all paired comparisons, which were correctly distinguished by each participant. Distinguishable levels of parameters and design recommendations were derived from the results of the experiment, and considerations about future tacton design are presented.
