Design, Evaluation and Impact of Educational Olfactory Interfaces

Olfactory interfaces (digital systems that generate and diffuse smells to a human user with a purpose) have been proposed and developed to support learning in a number of educational settings. This emerging type of human-computer interfaces has great potential for stimulating information recall, helping immerse learners into educational simulations, and supporting other human senses for learning. However, little is known on the proper design and evaluation of olfactory interfaces for learning. This paper discusses research in progress on the design and evaluation of an educational olfactory interfaces, including prototyping development methods based on user-centered design (UCD) and usability methods. An electronic prototype is to be used as a testbed. Prototyping+UCD approach indicates potential for developing practical, efficient and effective olfactory interfaces for learning. Future usability tests with our olfactory interface will confirm the design and testing methodologies used in our project.