Creating usable pin-array tactons for non-visual information

Spatial information can be difficult to present to a visually impaired computer user. In this paper, we examine a new kind of tactile cuing for nonvisual interaction as a potential solution, building on earlier work on vibrotactile Tactons. However, unlike vibrotactile Tactons, we use a pin array to stimulate the finger tip. Here, we describe how to design static and dynamic Tactons by defining their basic components. We then present user tests examining how easy it is to distinguish between different forms of pin array Tactons demonstrating accurate Tacton sets to represent directions. These experiments demonstrate usable patterns for static, wave, and blinking pin array Tacton sets for guiding a user in one of eight directions.