Lesley Anderson

New devices, aged care and people with disabilities

Do a WebQuest research exercise on how features such as voice commands, large letters etc
provide access to others or how smart devices connected via bluetooth or WiFi to the Internet
improve the nature of caring or improve the lifestyle for those with disabilities or in need of aged care.

Many innovations and inventions in technology have been originally devised or developed as assistive technology - that is, technology designed to aid accessibility for users who are disabled, and then gone on to be integrated into day-to-day technology  to be available and beneficial to all users. For able bodied users, the technology improvements make life somewhat easier - for disabled users they may well make seemingly impossible tasks become a reality.
By changing and broadening the methods available for people to interact with it, assistive technology promotes personal independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they perhaps could not previously have accomplished. Read the rest of this entry »

Smart screen interfaces - Case Study

Discuss a situation where that device improves the display or interaction over
any alternative device. Use examples to support your argument.

Touchscreens enable users to interact directly with a display, rather than indirectly via mouse, touchpad or other intermediary input device. They are important in personal digital technology, such as personal digital assistants (PDA), satellite navigation systems, video games, MP3 players and mobile phone with recent steps forward enabling the creation of a compact, uncluttered and truly mobile environment.

The iPod iTouch has a place in this environment. Minimal external controls and reliance on  intuitive touchscreen technology for navigation and application control mean huge changes in personal interaction and experience with technology. Read the rest of this entry »

Smart screen interfaces - Case Study

Touch screen mobile devices for display and interaction are a growth area.
As a case study, summarise how the interface works from your investigations.

Touchscreen displays, as their name suggests, are responsive to touch and capable of sensing the presence and location of any touch within their display areas. These displays can sense passive objects such as a stylus or active objects such as fingers or hands. There are different types of technology used in touchscreens but the most common types are resistive and capacitive.

Resistive touchscreens have two flexible sheets coated with resistive
material and separated by an air gap or microdots. When contact is made to the surface of the touchscreen, the two sheets are pressed together and a precise location is registered for the touch occurring on the display. Resistive touchscreens are described as “passive” technology as they sense input from contact with nearly any object.

Capacitive touchscreens are glass with a thin, transparent metallic coating. They have a built-in electrode pattern charging the screen. When the display is touched, a current drawn to the finger creates a voltage drop. The exact location of the voltage drop/touch is picked up by a controller and transmitted to a computer. Capacitive touch screens are commonly found in interactive building directories and more recently in Apple’s iTouch technology.