Assignment 1C

For this assignment, I am asked to define a tangible user interface and to describe a TUI that I like.

I define a TUI to be a human-computer interface in which physical objects are used such that these physical objects represent underlying digital information. The objects can be interpreted and manipulated by the user as a method of interpreting and manipulating the underlying digital information.

As for a TUI that I like, I will use one from the presentations we saw in class. I liked the Urp urban planner interface because it offered a tool that can be useful to professionals, not a dumbed-down interface with limited functionality. I also liked how people with no specific training in computer tools can use Urp. When using tools like a CAD program, training would be required for manipulating the tool. With Urp, however, all stakeholders in the project can participate, as no knowledge is required other than the ability to understand a scale model. Everyone involved can stand around the table and manipulate the interface.