Multi-Sensory Feedback (4) - By Yasmin Aftab

Multi Sensory Feedback enhances the users’ experiences into one that is more “realistic” and more “responsive” to what they intend. Take the example of a typical desktop computer. Before mouse’s were generally used to navigate around a page on the desktop screen and used to select different options with the buttons being clicked.
Nowadays, more keyboards are coming out especially the ones on laptops with touch pads that can be used to navigate around a page which occurs whit the movement of ones finger to which the feedback is shown on the screen and to the coordinates the user wants. Also take the example of the games consoles. On most games consoles like Sony Play station, Xbox or even the Nintendo Wii the controller pads contain a rumbling device to provide sensory feedback, for example when you crash your car in a game the pad rumbles.
This is very useful to gamers as it adds to “naturalness” of their game play and is very useful feedback to their gaming motions.
By “naturalness” I mean that control is left to the human manipulator rather than transferred to some machinery and therefore gives then more control over their actions. In all, I think that Multi Sensory Feedback stimulates human imagination far more then the traditional intuitive interface of desktop computing. A movement is done with respect to ones inner intention which adds to the “naturalness” of a particular experience.
Sources:
Continuous Multisensory Interaction - http://cnx.org/content/m14293/latest/
Jacob Nielsen’s paper - http://www.useit.com/papers/noncommand.htmlhttp://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7919BC43-2691-4AA2-9ADD-2C9C93C16C2D/45321/FeedbackontheMultiSensoryRoomnovtodec06.pdf