Prototype for investigating the Hot Spot scenario.

A research project in which we investigated possibilities and limitations of temperature change as a method for information display in mobile applications. E.g. as an add-on feature for mobile phones or PDAs, a thermal information display could serve as a possible extension for silent alert, or used in a spatial navigation scenario.

The paper was accepted to the Mobile HCI Conference in Singapore, September 2007, and is available on portal.acm.org.

The Hot Spot Scenario

One of the scenarios investigated is using the term Hot Spots for tourism navigation purposes.

Using a change in temperature as feedback in an ambient information device could play its role as a navigation tool. E.g. when coming to a new town, one might have a number of places known on beforehand to visit. But knowing just about where those places are, not exactly, may lead to that I discover other places on the way to and around those hot spots. Imagine going to the tourist office to get some information and inspiration about where to go. I decide a number of places I’d like to visit, then being allotted a small device with which to navigate to the hot spots. I dive into the city and explore it in a random but still controlled manner. I don’t have to know exactly where I am on the map, the ambient display gives me enough information to keep me on the track, still doesn’t force me to move in a specific pattern.

Prototype for investigating ability to sense small temperature changes.