The role of computers in the modern office has divided our activities between virtual interactions in the realm of the computer and physical interactions with real objects within the traditional office infrastructure. This paper extends previous work that has attempted to bridge this gap, to connect physical objects with virtual representations or computational functionality, via various types of tags. We discuss a variety of scenarios we have implemented using a novel combination of inexpensive, unobtrusive and easy to use RFID tags, tag readers, portable computers and wireless networking. This novel combination demonstrates the utility of invisibly, seamlessly and portably linking physical objects to networked electronic services and actions that are naturally associated with their form.

This paper reports on the design and use of tactile user interfaces embedded within or wrapped around the devices that they control. We discuss three different interaction prototypes that we built These interfaces were embedded onto two handheld devices of dramatically different form factors. We describe the design and implementation challenges, and user feedback and reactions to these prototypes. Implications for future design in the area of manipulative or haptic user interfaces are highlighted.

No abstract

In this paper we describe a diary study of how people read in the course of their daily working lives. Fifteen people from a wide variety of professions were asked to log their daily document activity for a period of 5 consecutive working days. Using structured interviews, we analysed their reading activities in detail. We examine the range of reading activities that our subjects carried out, and then present findings relating to both common characteristics and variation across the sample. From these findings, we discuss some implications for the design of digital readiig devices.

This paper describes experiments investigating factors that contribute to the readability of computer displays. We present two experiments that focus on reading text from various display technologies, ranging from paper to novel, high-resolution, flat panel displays. This work represents a sequence of controlled experiments and field studies aimed at better understanding the affordances of paper and corresponding design requirements for portable reading devices. Our efforts update previous studies and consider new factors afforded by advances in display technology. Although our findings indicate no statistically significant performance differences between reading from paper and reading from electronic displays for intensive, short proofreading tasks, users nonetheless indicate a strong subjective preference for paper. Evidence from a second experiment indicate that the previously unexamined factors of weight, flexibility and thickness are significant factors behind this.