Sensory Perception & Interaction Research Group

Designing haptic phenomena is increasingly important but difficult. Eliciting user feedback is particularly challenging. Direct means of sharing haptic sensations are limited, and the absence of unifying conceptual models for working with haptic sensations further restricts communication between designers and users. This is especially troublesome for pleasurable, affectively targeted interactions that rely on subjective user experience. In this paper, we summarize a recently-published qualitative study evaluating mHIVE, a What-You-Feel-Is-What-I-Feel (WYFIWIF) device for the direct manipulation and communication of vibrotactile stimuli. mHIVE is designed for rapid feedback and collaborative exploration, and shows promise for providing an additional, tactile mode of communication between designers and users in support of improved haptic design.