Force dynamics as a design framework for mid-air musical interfaces

Anders Eskildsen, and Mads Walther-Hansen

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

In this paper we adopt the theory of force dynamics in human cognition as a fundamental design principle for the development of mid-air musical interfaces. We argue that this principle can provide more intuitive user experiences when the interface does not provide direct haptic feedback – such as interfaces made with various gesture-tracking technologies. Grounded in five concepts from the theoretical literature on force dynamics in musical cognition, the paper presents a set of principles for interaction design focused on five force schemas: Path restraint, Containment restraint, Counter-force, Attraction, and Compulsion. We describe an initial set of examples that implement these principles using a Leap Motion sensor for gesture tracking and SuperCollider for interactive audio design. Finally, the paper presents a pilot experiment that provides initial ratings of intuitiveness in the user experience.

Citation:

Anders Eskildsen, and Mads Walther-Hansen. 2020. Force dynamics as a design framework for mid-air musical interfaces. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4813418

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{NIME20_70,
 abstract = {In this paper we adopt the theory of force dynamics in human cognition as a fundamental design principle for the development of mid-air musical interfaces. We argue that this principle can provide more intuitive user experiences when the interface does not provide direct haptic feedback – such as interfaces made with various gesture-tracking technologies. Grounded in five concepts from the theoretical literature on force dynamics in musical cognition, the paper presents a set of principles for interaction design focused on five force schemas: Path restraint, Containment restraint, Counter-force, Attraction, and Compulsion. We describe an initial set of examples that implement these principles using a Leap Motion sensor for gesture tracking and SuperCollider for interactive audio design. Finally, the paper presents a pilot experiment that provides initial ratings of intuitiveness in the user experience.},
 address = {Birmingham, UK},
 author = {Eskildsen, Anders and Walther-Hansen, Mads},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.4813418},
 editor = {Romain Michon and Franziska Schroeder},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {July},
 pages = {361--366},
 presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/REe967aGVN4},
 publisher = {Birmingham City University},
 title = {Force dynamics as a design framework for mid-air musical interfaces},
 url = {https://www.nime.org/proceedings/2020/nime2020_paper70.pdf},
 year = {2020}
}