AIM Research Group: Mobility

Mobile Computing and Mobile Accessibility

MobileASL (NSF funded)
Neva Cherniavsky (CSE), Jaehong Chon (EE), Jacob O. Wobbrock (iSchool), Eve Riskin (EE) and Richard Ladner (CSE)
Conducting user-centered laboratory and field studies of MobileASL, which allows deaf people to communicate with video using today's mobile phones and networks. Seeking to understand system parameters and effectiveness, factors affecting use, and communicative aspects of using ASL over this medium.

Cherniavsky, N., Chon, J., Wobbrock, J.O., Ladner, R.E. and Riskin, E.A. (2009). Activity analysis enabling real-time video communication on mobile phones for deaf users. Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '09). Victoria, British Columbia (October 4-7, 2009). New York: ACM Press, pp. 79-88.

Bonfire: Extending Laptop Interactions with Projected Surfaces
Shaun K. Kane (iSchool), Daniel Avrahami (Intel Research), Jacob O. Wobbrock (iSchool), Beverly Harrison, Adam Rea, Matthai Philipose and Anthony LaMarca (Intel Research)
Using computer vision and micro-projectors to extend laptop applications onto the surrounding tabletop.

Kane, S.K., Avrahami, D., Wobbrock, J.O., Harrison, B., Rea, A., Philipose, M. and LaMarca, A. (2009). Bonfire: A nomadic system for hybrid laptop-tabletop interaction. Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '09). Victoria, British Columbia (October 4-7, 2009). New York: ACM Press, pp. 129-138.

TapSongs: Rhythm-Based Password Entry
Jacob O. Wobbrock (iSchool)
Devising a user authentication method that uses a single sensor tapped according to a song rhythm. Useful for logging into devices that have no space for keyboards or gestures. May also be useful for blind users of touch screens.

Wobbrock, J.O. (2009). TapSongs: Tapping rhythm-based passwords on a single binary sensor. Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST '09). Victoria, British Columbia (October 4-7, 2009). New York: ACM Press, pp. 93-96.

Mobile Accessibility for Physical and Situational Impairments
Jacob O. Wobbrock and Shaun K. Kane (iSchool)
Seeking to understand mobile accessibility challenges caused by physical and situational impairments. Designing new techniques and systems for improving mobile accessibility.

Kane, S.K., Jayant, C., Wobbrock, J.O. and Ladner, R.E. (2009). Freedom to roam: A study of mobile device adoption and accessibility for people with visual and motor disabilities. Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '09). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (October 26-28, 2009). New York: ACM Press. To appear.
Kane, S.K., Bigham, J.P. and Wobbrock, J.O. (2008). Slide Rule: Making mobile touch screens accessible to blind people using multi-touch interaction techniques. Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '08). Halifax, Nova Scotia (October 13-15, 2008). New York: ACM Press, pp. 73-80. [Video]
Kane, S.K., Wobbrock, J.O. and Smith, I.E. (2008). Getting off the treadmill: Evaluating walking user interfaces for mobile devices in public spaces. Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI '08). Amsterdam, The Netherlands (September 18-20, 2008). New York: ACM Press, pp. 109-118. Best Paper Award.
Wobbrock, J.O., Myers, B.A. and Aung, H.H. (2008). The performance of hand postures in front- and back-of-device interaction for mobile computing. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 66 (12), pp. 857-875. [Journal]
Froehlich, J., Wobbrock, J.O. and Kane, S.K. (2007). Barrier Pointing: Using physical edges to assist target acquisition on mobile device touch screens. Proceedings of the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '07). Tempe, Arizona (October 15-17, 2007). New York: ACM Press, pp. 19-26. [Videos]

EdgeWrite (NSF funded)
Jacob O. Wobbrock and Brad A. Myers (Carnegie Mellon University)
Making text entry possible on a variety of devices through a simple, versatile, reusable design for letter-like text entry. EdgeWrite was originally designed as an assistive technology for improving text entry on PDAs, but now has versions on trackballs, joysticks, touchpads, sensors, keys, and more.

Visit edgewrite.com for multiple projects and publications.