Abstract
Conventional feedback methods for delivering mobile notifications primarily resort on the visual, auditory, and tactile channels, readily accommodated by smartphones, smart-watches, glasses, and armbands. Contrary to this mainstream, we are interested in this work in information delivered through the user’s body, designed for the kinesthetic channel, which involves dedicated devices that can actuate specific body parts, e.g., putting the index finger into states of hyper-extension at custom angles and duration. Given the novelty of this feedback type, situated at the intersection of body augmentation, extended reality, and wearable computing, very few studies have reported on the user experience of kinesthetic notifications, especially in real-world contexts of use. In this paper, we report on observations collected during a two-day open-public science fair, where we presented "Fingerhinter," our finger-augmentation device designed for kinesthetic feedback, to a large and heterogeneous audience. More than one hundred people, aged five to fifty years old, engaged with Fingerhinter and provided valuable insights about their experience of wearing and using it. Out of these participants, a subgroup of twenty also completed the UMUXLite questionnaire to formally evaluate their user experience. Additionally, we report on the participants’ feedback regarding suitable notification types for kinesthetic feedback delivery as well as potential applications that could benefit from the integration of kinesthetic feedback into smart interactive wearables.