Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to
develop visiBabble, sound recognition
software that provides visual reinforce-
ment of sounds produced by infants or
preschool children, particularly those
with learning or physical disabilities.
babble," Fell explains. Through lights,
images, or other mechanisms, the device
rewards the baby for distinct, word-like
utterances over non-distinct gurgling.
NIH grant to develop an animated agent
that motivates users to stick to an exer-
cise program. He began the work as a
research assistant in the MIT Media Lab,
where he tested a prototype with one
hundred MIT students. Later, at Boston
University School of Medicine, he tested
a similar agent with geriatric patients. In
you to exercise, to sound recogni-
tion programs that teach your
respond to your voice, computers are
doing things they've never done before.
Researchers in the Human-Computer
Interaction (HCI) Laboratory are working
to make these new devices fit into our lives
as seamlessly and effectively as possible.
ity this fall, thanks to a series of grants
and growing interest in how computers
and people work together.
a member of the lab. "The principles we
work on can apply to desktops, PDAs,
GPS systems, even cars."
are working together to understand what
happens when a mobile device user tries
to perform multiple tasks, and what
might make multitasking easier.
says Assistant Professor Peter Tarasewich,
a researcher in the lab. "They've seen
that even a little usability testing can
improve customer satisfaction and
save a lot of money in manufacturing."
around and using a PDA, would a
touch-activated interface be better?
Or voice-activated? Is a display the
best solution, or is it a problem if
others can read your screen?"
at how computers can play a more active
nificant impact on time spent exercising
and steps walked in a walking regimen.
through obstacles, and provides appro-
priate empathy, for instance when they
get sick," Bickmore says. "It builds a
social rapport."
Bickmore has found that people get
bored and lose motivation over time,
even if the agent's dialog changes.
He is now looking at ways to make
other subtle changes in appearance
or action to maintain interest.
behavioral science and visual design in
addition to computer science," he says.
"We need to look at all the components
of social interaction."
fitness coach build social
rapport with their users.
They have been demon-
strated to increase the time
people spend exercising
by providing feedback
and motivation.