This is a design brief, one of many themes that the Touch project is investigating.
RFID and NFC can be used to provide access to places in the same way as traditional keys or tickets.
This brief emerged from a frustration with existing access control systems. For interfaces of such potential simplicity they are often frustratingly difficult to use. Observe a queue forming by a train ticket gate or at a gym, and witness first-hand how an interface can cause confusion, frustration and even humiliation. Lack of feedback, delays and awkward timing make these systems some of the worst examples of interaction design practice.
Considering the issue of access control as a whole, what kinds of interactions are needed to make access easy and humane?
What are the variables involved in access control? How should access be visualised for users? When does access need to be easy and transparent, and when should it be obscure or even threatening? What kinds of feedback (audio, haptic, visual) can we use to make these interactions easier? In particular, how might an NFC-enabled mobile phone change access interactions? This might link very successfully with other briefs, in particular looking at how icon or graphic treatments might work and the kinds of interaction methods that are evolving for NFC interactions.
Going further, how should RFID work within existing architectural spaces? How might architectural structure alter once we have more advanced access systems? Does the concept of ‘boundary’ change?
Read more about these design briefs.
Related things:
- Universal design with NFC This is a design brief, one of many themes that the Touch project is investigating. NFC has been suggested as an enabling platform for universal design or design for all. Universal design can be......
- Thoughts on Nokia’s NFC developments On April 15th Nokia announced the 6212 ‘classic’ phone that incorporates Near Field Communication technology. This phone is the fourth NFC-capable phone from Nokia in as many years and it is the first NFC......
- NFC in action A video has surfaced from the recent launch of the Nokia 6131 NFC phone at CES. The demo shows some basic functions of touch-based interactions such as using a ‘smart poster’ to make a......
- Touch design briefs The Touch project has been investigating applications and services for RFID and NFC since 2005. Although RFID and NFC have been much hyped, the technologies have been relatively little explored from a design perspective.......
- Google, Android and NFC Alongside the persistent rumours of an Apple iPhone with an RFID/NFC reader (and our own experiments with iPhone NFC interactions) it seems that Google is really beginning to push for NFC as part of......