Our class exercise for week 2 involves combining augmented reality with prototyping to present different interface or display options to the user for an object we would find in the home. We looked at an example of a washing machine interface where the user was able to interact with a physical dial but saw the display change through augmented reality interface.
One example I came across was from start-up Metaio who combined thermal sensors with augmented reality to create Thermal Touch. Incidentally, it is also another example of a 'Kickstarter' style video for our video prototype.
My idea for an augmented reality prototype is for a light switch. Regular light switches can be clunky to use, the switches can become sticky (neither off or on position) or require a lot of force to change their state. The augmented reality prototype I propose combines both a physical and virtual switch. The phycial part is the wall with a raised frame, similar to the box a regular light switch currently sits in.
The virtual part would be the dispaly inside the switch box which presents different options to the user. Depending on what lighting options are available for a particular room (e.g. dimmers, number of lights), differnt formats could be tested on the display. You coudl have a flat button that depressed, colour changes for off/on, a swipe motion to turn off or on (similar to the range of touch motions available on a mobile phone), or sliders for dimmers. While some of these options may already exist, an augmented reality prototype would allow you to easily and quickly test different options for different user needs.
Image from Flickr |
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