Physical environment
User
Locked-in, ineffectual muscle control
2 or 3 input signals
likely difficult to quickly switch between input signals
often in pain or physically uncomfortable
bored or lonely
minimal communication abilities
Task
Controling many aspects of the physical environment
(temperature, fan, window blinds, bed position)
Control computational environment
(switch channels, adjust volume, black-out screen)
Mediate access to the room (the "come in" control)
See parts of the room not visible.
Switch to some environment pre-set
(sleeping preset, switch to favorite TV show)
There need to be safeguards (e.g. cannot launch bed) and easy undo
Task is bursty followed by lulls in env control activity. Generally not
seen as the primary task, in contrast to web browsing
Environment
- home-grown, we build it
- digital -> analog, such as physical switches
- feedback often available (the light turned on), but needed to diagnos when something isn't working (signal not there v. bulb burned out)
- competition for visual screen space/controls
Circumstance
- managed care, other users who also need to control the environment
- task switching is difficult
- not all portions of the environment are visible
Location/Steps/Routes
There could be a master panel with links to various environmental
controls.
Each environmental control could have its own (albeit
consistent) interface
Need a back button to help resume primary task
May want a neural macro (20 shoves??) to switch out of primary task
Need different ways to instigate changes in the environement
- instigated by the user
- suggest then fade away, e.g. such as a reminder for a fav TV show
- warn then complete, e.g. the "come in" control
- do automatically, e.g. blank out screen when visitor comes in
There is a trade-off in time that the user can spend scripting their
environment (potentially lots of time here) vs. the time that the user is
willing to accept as a delay/interruption from another task (e.g. lowering
the volume when a visitor arrives).
There are potentially different scripting interfaces:
- a time-oriented interface (morning, lunch, dinner, evening, sleep)
- a scenario-oriented interface (napping, watching TV, hosting visitor (Mel, doctor, nurse)
- a 3D room interface (or 2D) to get to lights, fans ... Again the trade-off between logical and spatial organizations arises.