![PaperPhone Flexible Smartphone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/PaperPhone_Flexible_Smartphone.jpg)
In
human–computer interaction
Human–computer interaction (HCI) is research in the design and the use of computer technology, which focuses on the interfaces between people (users) and computers. HCI researchers observe the ways humans interact with computers and design tec ...
, an organic user interface (OUI) is defined as a
user interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...
with a non-flat display.
After
Engelbart and
Sutherland's graphical user interface
The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...
(GUI), which was based on the
cathode ray tube
A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms ( oscilloscope), pictu ...
(CRT), and
Kay and
Weiser's ubiquitous computing
Ubiquitous computing (or "ubicomp") is a concept in software engineering, hardware engineering and computer science where computing is made to appear anytime and everywhere. In contrast to desktop computing, ubiquitous computing can occur using a ...
, which is based on the flat panel
liquid-crystal display
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display
A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipmen ...
(LCD), OUI represents one possible third wave of display interaction paradigms, pertaining to multi-shaped and
flexible display
A flexible display or rollable display is an electronic visual display which is flexible in nature, as opposed to the traditional flat screen displays used in most electronic devices. In recent years there has been a growing interest from nume ...
s. In an OUI, the display surface is always the focus of interaction, and may actively or passively change shape upon analog (i.e., as close to non-quantized as possible) inputs.
[Roel Vertegaal and Ivan Poupyrev]
Organic User Interfaces: Introduction
Communications of the ACM 51(6), 26–30, June 2008. These inputs are provided through direct physical
gestures
A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or ot ...
, rather than through indirect
point-and-click
Point and click are the actions of a computer user moving a pointer to a certain location on a screen (''pointing'') and then pressing a button on a mouse, usually the left button (''click''), or other pointing device. An example of point and cli ...
control. Note that the term "Organic" in OUI was derived from
organic architecture
Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world. This is achieved through design approaches that aim to be sympathetic and well-integrated with a site, so buildings, furni ...
, referring to the adoption of natural form to design a better fit with
human ecology
Human ecology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The philosophy and study of human ecology has a diffuse history with advancements in ecology ...
. The term also alludes to the use of
organic electronics
Organic electronics is a field of materials science concerning the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of organic molecules or polymers that show desirable electronic properties such as conductivity. Unlike conventional inorga ...
for this purpose.
Organic user interfaces were first introduced in a special issue of the ''Communications of the ACM'' in 2008.
The first International Workshop on Organic User Interfaces took place at CHI 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. The second workshop took place at TEI 2011 in Madeira, Portugal. The third workshop was held at MobileHCI 2012 in Monterey, California, and the fourth workshop at CHI 2013 in Paris, France.
Types
According to Vertegaal and Poupyrev,
there are three general types of organic user interface:
Flexible (or deformable) user interfaces: When flexible displays are deployed, shape deformation, e.g., through bends, is a key form of input for OUI. Flexible display technologies include
flexible OLED (FOLED) and
flexible E Ink, or can be simulated through 3D
active projection mapping.
Shaped user interfaces: Displays with a static non-flat display. The physical shape is chosen so as to better support the main function of the interface. Shapes may include spheres, cylinders or take the form of everyday objects.
Actuated (or kinetic) user interfaces: Displays with a programmable shape controlled by a computer algorithm. Here, display shapes can actively adapt to the physical context of the user, the form of the data, or the function of the interface. An extreme example is that of
Claytronics
Claytronics is an abstract future concept that combines nanoscale robotics and computer science to create individual nanometer-scale computers called claytronic atoms, or ''catoms'', which can interact with each other to form tangible 3D objects ...
: fully physical 3D
voxel
In 3D computer graphics, a voxel represents a value on a regular grid in three-dimensional space. As with pixels in a 2D bitmap, voxels themselves do not typically have their position (i.e. coordinates) explicitly encoded with their values. Ins ...
s that dynamically constitute physical 3D images.
Organic design principles
Holman and
Vertegaal present three design principles that underlie OUI:
[David Holman and Roel Vertegaal]
Organic user interfaces: designing computers in any way, shape, or form
Communications of the ACM 51(6), 26–30, June 2008.
Input equals output: In traditional GUIs, input and output are physically separated: Output is generated graphically on the screen on the basis of input provided by a control device such as a mouse. A key feature of OUI is that the display surface, and its physical deformations are always the locus of user interaction.
Function equals form: Coined by
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
, this means the shape of an interface determines its physical functionality, and vice versa. Shapes should be chosen such that they best support the functionality of the interface. An example is a spherical multitouch interface,
which is particularly suited to geographic information interfaces, which were previously limited to
distorted flat projections of spherical earth data.
Form follows flow: OUIs physically adapt to the context of a user's multiple activities, e.g., by taking on multiple shapes. An example of this is the "clamshell" phone, where the physical metaphor of altering the phone's shape (by opening it) alters the state of the user interface (to open communications). Another example is folding a thin-film tablet PC into a smaller, pocket-sized smartphone for mobility.
Example implementations
Early examples of OUIs include Gummi, a rigid prototype of a flexible credit card display, PaperWindows,
featuring active projection-mapped pieces of paper, the Microsoft Sphere, one of the first spherical multitouch computers,
[Todd Bishop]
Here comes Sphere: Microsoft debuts computing in round
July 29, 2008. and DisplayObjects (rigid objects with displays wrapped around them).
PaperPhone was one of the first OUIs to introduce bend gestures on a real flexible screen. It featured a flexible
electrophoretic display
Electronic paper, also sometimes electronic ink, e-ink or electrophoretic display, are display devices that mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike conventional flat panel displays that emit light, an electronic paper display re ...
and an array of 5 bend sensors that allowed for user navigation of content. Examples of actuated OUIs include shape changing prototypes like MorePhone and Morphees. The Nokia Kinetic,
a flexible smartphone that allows input techniques such as bend, twist and squeeze, and the Samsung Youm,
CNET. Eyes-on: Samsung's Youm flexible-display tech at CES 2013
are early commercial prototypes of OUIs. It is widely expected that OUIs will be introduced on the market by the year 2018.
Note that OUIs differ from a natural user interface
In computing, a natural user interface (NUI) or natural interface is a user interface that is effectively invisible, and remains invisible as the user continuously learns increasingly complex interactions. The word "natural" is used because most c ...
(NUI) in that NUIs are limited to touch or remote gestural interactions with a flat display only. Although remote gestural interaction violates the principle of ''Input Equals Output'', OUIs generally subsume NUIs. Also note that OUI is a successor to and form of tangible user interface
A tangible user interface (TUI) is a user interface in which a person interacts with digital information through the physical environment. The initial name was Graspable User Interface, which is no longer used. The purpose of TUI development i ...
that always features a bitmapped display skin around its multi-shaped body. Finally, note that all OUIs are examples of haptic technologies, as their physical shapes, like real objects, provide passive tactile-kinaesthetic feedback even in non-actuated cases.
See also
* Flexible display
A flexible display or rollable display is an electronic visual display which is flexible in nature, as opposed to the traditional flat screen displays used in most electronic devices. In recent years there has been a growing interest from nume ...
References
External links
Organic User Interfaces: Special Issue of CACM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Organic User Interface
Flexible displays
Human–computer interaction
User interfaces