A table (shown on screen). Columns are mapped to the number row of the keyboard and rows to the leftmost column of keys, and (1) By default the top left cell is selected. (2) The right hand presses the ‘2’ key, selecting the second column (3) The left hand selects the next row (4) The left hand selects the third row. In each case, the position of the cell and its content are read out aloud.
Web user interfaces today leverage many common GUI design patterns, including navigation bars and menus (hierarchical structure), tabular content presentation, and scrolling. These visual-spatial cues enhance the interaction experience of sighted users. However, the linear nature of screen translation tools currently available to blind users make it difficult to understand or navigate these structures. We introduce Spatial Region Interaction Techniques (SPRITEs) for nonvisual access: a novel method for navigating two-dimensional structures using the keyboard surface. SPRITEs 1) preserve spatial layout, 2) enable bimanual interaction, and 3) improve the end user experience. We used a series of design probes to explore different methods for keyboard surface interaction. Our evaluation of SPRITEs shows that three times as many participants were able to complete spatial tasks with SPRITEs than with their preferred current technology.
Graph showing task completion rates for different kinds of tasks in our user studyA user is searching a table (shown on screen) for the word ‘Jill’. Columns are mapped to the number row of the keyboard and rows to the leftmost column of keys. (1) By default the top left cell is selected. (2) The right hand presses the ‘2’ key, selecting the second column (3) The left hand selects the next row (4) The left hand selects the third row. In each case, the number of occurrences of the search query in the respective column or row are read aloud. When the query is found, the position and content of the cell are read out aloud.
Hi, I’m Yuqian Sun and I’m an exchange student from University of Tokyo, Japan. I’m interested in how technology can combine with the human cognition, persuade and as a result, change human behavior. My research field is human computer interaction and Ubiquitous Computing. I’m currently working on SPRITEs and Interactiles project.
With the increasing popularity of consumer-grade 3D printing, many people are creating, and even more using, objects shared on sites such as Thingiverse. However, our formative study of 962 Thingiverse models shows a lack of re-use of models, perhaps due to the advanced skills needed for 3D modeling. An end user program perspective on 3D modeling is needed. Our framework (PARTs) empowers amateur modelers to graphically specify design intent through geometry. PARTs includes a GUI, scripting API and exemplar library of assertions which test design expectations and integrators which act on intent to create geometry. PARTs lets modelers integrate advanced, model specific functionality into designs, so that they can be re-used and extended, without programming. In two workshops, we show that PARTs helps to create 3D printable models, and modify existing models more easily than with a standard tool.
My name is Ying Wang and I am a junior double majoring in Computer Science and Applied & Computational Mathematical Science. I am interested in the communication between Nature, Human and Technology. She is fascinated by the unlimited potential and profound meaning revealed by data communication and how human-centered design plays an essential role in bridging the gaps in between human expression and technology realization. I am currently working on the Don’t Touch My Belly project in the lab.
I’m a freshman majoring in Computer Science, from Kirkland Washington. In the lab, I am currently working on the Don’t Touch My Belly project, a fabrication project that aims to explore themes of consent, consisting of a maturity shirt that reacts the wearer’s pregnant belly is touched without asking. I am still exploring the many fields of computer science, and am passionate about using technology to solve human problems.
Hi, there! My name is Estelle Jiang and I’m currently a junior at the University of Washington majoring in Informatics, with a concentration in Human Computer Interaction. I’m passionate about exploring & creating the best experience for the user and designing sustainably and meaningful interactions between people, technology, and products. I think design is not only about how it looks like, but also what is inside.I have been working on Don’t Touch My Belly project in Make4All Lab.
Woosuk is now a PhD student at the University of Michigan. While he was part of the UW EXP project, he wrote: I am a Research Assistant in Computer Science and Engineering. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Informatics at University of Washington. My research goal is to understand the users and to provide them proper information through human-centered design. I aim to empower those people who are often marginalized from mainstream technology. More specifically, I am interested in social computing, health informatics and assistive technology. In the lab, I am working on UW Experience project.
I am a freshman majoring in Computer Science from Spokane, Washington. In the Make4All lab, I have been working on learning how to write programs using Python in the 3D modeling software Fusion 360. One of my biggest passions is 3D printing, so learning more about the modeling side of that has been very rewarding. This is the first lab that I have been a part of, so another thing that has been new for me is learning how labs run and how it differs from my normal coursework. I am excited to see what’s next and continue working with all the other great people in the lab!
Hi there! I’m a CSE senior passionate about creating physical, interactive things to solve human problems. In the lab I am currently working on Interactiles, which improves the accessibility of mobile phones by introducing tangible, tactile interaction to touchscreens, and Don’t Touch My Belly, a maternity shirt that reacts when the wearer’s pregnant belly is touched without asking and aims to explore themes of consent and women’s bodies. My portfolio can be seen here: http://dropr.com/tracytran
I am a PhD student in Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE). Previously, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. I study how digital fabrication technology can move beyond its focus on making trinket-scale objects for a universal “maker.” Instead, I imagine how we can leverage digital fabrication to build longer-lasting infrastructure such as urban installations and ad-hoc shelters. How can these tools could be useful in a diverse set of people and needs, rather than just appealing to one universal user? How can we build effectively at the body or building scale? What role do different materials play in this process? I approach these questions through a mix of research through design, ethnography, and system-building.
