Visually interactive location-aware computing

Abstract

The physical disappearance of the computer, associated with Ubicomp, has led to a number of interaction challenges. Due to the lack of an interface users are losing control over applications running in Ubicomp environments. Furthermore, the limited ability for these applications to provide feedback makes it difficult for users to understand their workings and dependencies. We investigate whether an interaction paradigm, based on the visualising location-aware applications on a head-mounted display, is feasible and whether it has the potential to improve the user experience in the same way graphical user interfaces did for the desktop. We show the feasibility of the idea by building an Augmented Reality interface to a location-aware environment, Initial user trials indicate that the user experience can be improved through in-situ visualisation. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.