Exploratory Research onInformal Haptic Computer Mediated Human to Human Communication.

Abstract

Abstract This is a master thesis (60 credits) written at the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo. The goals of the thesis are: 1. To describe research about informality in communication. 2. To describe research about the application of touch in communication. 3. By way of scenarios, illustrate how touch can be used to support informal, social interaction in a distributed environment. I describe background research and theories within the fields of HCI and CSCW. I use this and research on haptics, informal communication and scenarios to shed light upon and discuss the theme of the thesis. I found that research supports: œ Informal communication is important in all areas of our lives, professionally, privately and socially. œ Systems for computer mediated human to human communication benefits from supporting informal communication. œ That touch is a powerful means of communication, and that computer mediated touch can convey information between people. œ The field of haptics is an emerging popular field right now.