IHM'16, KnobSlider
KnobSlider: Design of a Shape-Changing Device Grounded on Users’ Needs
KnobSlider : Conception d'un Dispositif Déformable Répondant aux Besoins des Utilisateurs
Hyunyoung Kim, Céline Coutrix, Anne Roudaut
Actes de la 28ième conférence francophone sur l'Interaction Homme-Machine, IHM'16* [pdf] (French)
* IHM is the biggest French HCI conference and have a serious peer review process with three reviewers and rebuttal.
Low-fi prototypes of KnobSlider: knob (left) and slider (right). 1) slap-bracelet, 2) party whistle, 3) accordion, 4) roly-poly, 5) origami, 6) stackable disk, 7) zip-line, 8) fish bone, 9) dukta pattern.
In this paper, we explore how to combine the advantages of physical knobs and sliders by using shape-change in order to transform one into another on-demand. By doing so we merge the benefits of both input device: knobs enable relative angular input with dynamic gain and require little space; sliders require more space but enable absolute linear input and can be grouped to be simultaneously adjusted and monitored. Our initial contextual interviews unveil situations where such dynamic device could be particularly beneficial for professionals such as sound and light engineers as they require tangible devices and high flexibility. We then present the 10 alternative designs of KnobSlider, a shape changing input device that can switch from a knob to slider and vice-versa. We propose a set of 12 requirements for such a shape-changing device and conducted a systematic analysis of our 10 designs against our 12 requirements. This work is a first step toward building a high-fidelity KnobSlider.