MouseHaus Table: A Tangible User Interface for Urban Design Chen-Je Huang Design Machine Group

Community Design Activities Using colored paper/street map to engage urban discussion

Motivation How can we enhance design collaboration? How can we support design decisions?  Add computing power to the design process  Get the computing power off the screen and bring urban discussion to the table

MouseHaus Table A tabletop interactive simulation for urban design which provides a novel interface and simulation feedback

MouseHaus A simple pedestrian simulation for urban open space

MouseHaus Table TABLETOP PROJECTOR CAMERA

Ordinary Objects The users select what they want to use in the simulation

One-Click Registration BUILDING /\ PARK

Simulation and Feedback Real-time simulation Visual feedback

Demo Downtown map on the table Register red paper as buildings Register green paper as parks Run the simulation Show the pattern Ordinary objects as the interface

Related Work Urp, MIT 1999 EDC, University of Colorado 2000 Luminous Table, MIT 2002

What’s the difference? Ordinary objects as the interface Easy setup

Initial User Study Data Collection Verbal Interaction Gestural Interaction Questionnaire Post-Interview

Findings Changes made by Participants A, B, and C Paper Trails Mouse Trials A B C Numbers of Communication Events (verbal/gestural)

User Feedback I like the way you manipulate, you can use your hand, you can move the paper. It creates the interaction between people and the computer - the interaction, the movement in the design process is really important - so through your movement of hand, it’s more real, tangible

Future Work Advance the study about tangible interaction in the group setting Build an interface that makes the rules of simulation visible

Summary MouseHaus Table uses ordinary objects as interface. It provides urban designers and community members an interactive simulation to support urban decisions.