OM: A Comprehensive Tool to Elicit Subjective Vibrotactile Expressions Associated with Contextualised Meaning in Our Everyday Lives

Abstract

The sense of touch offers interesting possibilities as a robust and ubiquitous communication channel. In this paper, we present OM, a tool that enables users to design subjective vibrotactile expressions associated with contextualised information relevant to them. OM consists of a pair of wrist-worn devices that can reproduce complex vibrotactile symbols and a companion editor smartphone app that allows users to create, customise and store personalised expressions. We studied OM in real-world contexts by allowing 13 participants to explore the functionalities of OM throughout their daily interactions with complete autonomy. We highlight relevant scenarios, design considerations, and future directions towards a tool that can help people unveil an alternative, ubiquitous and private communication system accessible to all.