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The perceptual benefits of a tangible interface decrease with users' expertise

Published: 26 April 2014 Publication History

Abstract

In this paper, I describe an empirical study where I investigated the way users learn new concepts using a Tangible User Interface (TUI). In this study, 27 pairs of apprentices in logistics (N=54) interacted with an interactive simulation of a warehouse. Their task was to memorize, analyze and optimize several warehouses' layouts. In one condition, half of the participants used physical, 3D shelves; in another condition, shelves were represented by 2D paper rectangles. This manipulation allowed me to control for the "representational effect" of 3D tangibles: the first group saw the warehouse as a small-scale model with realistic shelves, while the second group had access to a more abstract view with rectangular pieces of paper. I found that participants who used 3D shelves better memorized a warehouse layout, built a more efficient model, and scored higher on a learning test. Interestingly, these effects decreased with students' expertise: third-year students (compared to first-years and second-years) performed as well and learnt as much in both conditions.

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References

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Cited By

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  • (2022)Augmented Scale Models: Presenting Multivariate Data Around Physical Scale Models in Augmented Reality2022 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)10.1109/ISMAR55827.2022.00019(54-63)Online publication date: Oct-2022

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  1. The perceptual benefits of a tangible interface decrease with users' expertise

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    cover image ACM Conferences
    CHI EA '14: CHI '14 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    April 2014
    2620 pages
    ISBN:9781450324748
    DOI:10.1145/2559206
    Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

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    Publication History

    Published: 26 April 2014

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    Author Tags

    1. collaborative learning
    2. tangible interface

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    CHI '14: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
    April 26 - May 1, 2014
    Ontario, Toronto, Canada

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    CHI EA '14 Paper Acceptance Rate 1,000 of 3,200 submissions, 31%;
    Overall Acceptance Rate 6,164 of 23,696 submissions, 26%

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    • (2022)Augmented Scale Models: Presenting Multivariate Data Around Physical Scale Models in Augmented Reality2022 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)10.1109/ISMAR55827.2022.00019(54-63)Online publication date: Oct-2022

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