TAC Palette and Dialog Diagram for ComTouch

by @im_a_muppet on July 15, 2007

TUI – Assignment 1

For this assignment I read the ComTouch: A Vibrotactile Communication Device paper.

After reading the paper I had to create a TAC Palette to describe the token and constraints of the device. I then described how the TUI is interacted with via a Dialog Diagram.

Part 1
TAC Palette

Part 2
This TUI does not have a lot of physical syntax. The user can do only two things. Press (Send) and feel (Receive). The user is constrained to both these uses by the physical shape of the device.
Regarding the pressure the user is guided on how to use it by the feed back vibrations. When the user places a hand on the system and presses the sensor a feedback correlates with the amount of pressure. This indicates to the user how the system works. There may be one problem. If the user holds the device and thus applies pressure they will fell the feedback also. They may think that the device was vibrating before holding the device.
Regarding the vibration the users only interaction is to feel it. They obviously know that they can feel vibration if it vibrates and not by letting go of the device. However they may be able to hear the device vibrate on a table or some other solid surface.
The physical relation between the tokens and constraints does physically guide the user. One part of the TAC is part of the user (the hand) the other is shaped to hold the hand (the groove on the phone).

Part 3
Dialog Diagram

Part 4
All information in this system is in real-time. No data is stored within the system. Also the TUI is both input and output and requires two or more users. The data itself is stored by the person sending (info to send) or receiving (info received).
The systems physical state does have some information to enable the user to determine what tasks are available or not. Looking at the device does not show that you can send info by pressure and receive vibration. However just holding the device the user may be able to feel the feedback and a soft part that it knows to press.
Both tasks can be done in parallel. The user can feel a vibration and press the sensor at the same time. These are the only two tasks.