Feet is an experimental study on foot-based interaction concepts.

Introduction

We considered how foot-based interaction may play out in the future. We wrote two articles and published a code library: They look into the history of foot-based interaction and provide a system to introduce users to this idea.

Process

To try working with such an experimental interface and find out how to make users feel comfortable with it we decided to prototype a test set-up. Additionally we developed a set of user-centered introduction interfaces. As interaction designers we wanted to set a different focus than the engineers that worked with this topic before. We focused on immediacy and tangibility to be able to provide instant (haptic) feedback and confirm our ideas.

The result: a working tracking solution and a collection of applications to introduce users to using their feet to control interfaces via gestures.

Our goal was to provide insight into how this topic might be expanded in the future and which concepts help users getting started with using their feet to control interfaces.

Results

We published our process and findings in two high-length Medium articles. The base library we wrote is open-source on GitHub:

Part 1

Historical applications of foot-based interaction, possible contexts of use in a modern, digital space and findings of research done before.
(8 minute read)

Part 2

Defining the focus of our development, the technology we used, the user-centered introduction we created, observations, a look ahead and closing thoughts.
(13 minute read)

Library

Since the LeapMotion library is optimized for tracking hands we wrote our own JavaScript library on top of it. That way we have as much control as possible about how gestures are recognized.
(Open Source on GitHub)

The screens of our user-centered introduction (A detailed explanation can be found in our Medium article.)

Meta

My focus in this project was on research, developing the base-library and editing and translating our Medium-post.

This is a student project created during winter semester 2014 as part of an Invention Design course by Prof. Jörg Beck and Prof. David Oswald.

Team partners

Nikolas Klein
Werner Schäfner

Links

Medium Articles
JavaScript Tracking Library

Please note that this project is archived and this page is only kept for documentary purposes. For more current information please refer to my up-to-date website.
Please note that this project is archived and this page is only kept for documentary purposes. For more current information please refer to my up-to-date website.