ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: In our previous study, the way of designing the perceptual vibration patterns was researched through experiments using the mouse-type tactile interface from the vibration perception and cognition. As the results, the threshold of vibration duration and gaps between the duration were estimated statistically. Further, the requirements for designing memorable vibration pattern such as the rhythmical vibration pattern called “vibration rhythm” for elderly people were proposed from perceptibility; however, the validity of the vibration rhythms in the context of assumed use have not been cleared and therefore it is required to reveal the validity of vibration rhythm for the actual use. Then, we assumed a context of the actual use which the messages from home appliances are presented to the user by a vibrating interface. In the case of using the vibration rhythms for informing messages, the user has to identify the vibration rhythm presented and able to recall the corresponded message of the vibration rhythm they have learned before. Therefore, we conducted experiments using a custom vibrating interface presenting four vibration rhythms and research the characteristics of understandable vibration rhythm according to the following procedure. The participants were ten young individuals and ten elderly persons. First, we evaluated and selected the distinguishable vibration rhythms from seven vibration rhythms including some memorable vibration rhythms we assumed based on our previous knowledge. Then the selected vibration rhythms were related to messages from assumed home appliances of each and the participants learned the message using our custom software. After the learning, the participants tried to identify and answer the message of presented vibration rhythm. The experimental results showed that all of the participants were able to understand the messages of two vibration rhythms regardless of their age. These results suggest that the vibration rhythms are less retrieval cue of recalling the message for the participants. Therefore, it is required to the way of designing vibration patterns regardless of vibration rhythms having more retrieval cue of recalling the message in order to use the vibrating interface for the actual use we assumed.
