Subtle and public notification cues for mobile devices

Abstract

Mobile information technology increasingly influences everyday life. When used in social contexts several problems regarding how mobile devices convey notifications arise. Auditory notification cues, such as those generally used by mobile phones, can be intrusive and attention demanding. Tactile cues, such as vibrations, are very private and subtle. However, since it is hard for other people nearby to perceive such cues, it can be awkward to understand the actions which a notification cue can give rise to, i.e., tactile cues are not public. We discuss the design space of notification cues for mobile devices and propose an exploration of the space which combines the two dimensions of subtlety and publicity. We conclude with a description of current and future work.