Excitatory Multimodal Interaction on Mobile Devices∗

Shoogle is a novel, intuitive interface for sensing data within a mobile device, such as presence and properties of text messages or remaining resources. It is based around active exploration: devices are shaken, revealing the contents rattling around “inside”. Vibrotactile display and realistic impact sonification create a compelling system. Inertial sensing is used for completely eyes-free, single-handed interaction that is entirely natural. Prototypes are described running both on a PDA and on a mobile phone with a wireless sensor pack. Scenarios of use are explored where active sensing is more appropriate than the dominant alert paradigm.