The madeira touch: Encouraging visual-spatial exploration using a tactile interactive display

The current information marketplace for tourists is dominated by for-profit purveyors of information. Potential visitors must rely on experts-for-hire or search engine results in order to learn about a desired destination. In this paper, we introduce The Madeira Touch, a multimodal display installation rooted in the unique characteristics of Madeira, which allows users to explore the island by selecting a type of scenery and showing the user-generated photos of that type of scenery in a map-based interface. To make this pervasive display more engaging, we designed an exploratory tactile-input mode of interaction: users will be able to touch a physical object, representing a type of scenery (a rock for mountains, a seashell for the sea, etc.), which will then bring up suitable photos of that type of scenery overlaid on a map of the island. The display will help users to form their mental image of the island and to plan trips that best suit their interests. Copyright is held by the author/owner(s).