Multitouch user interface design studied at the Pori Jazz festival

This summer Pori Jazz uses the latest technology to present its programme, artists and venues to the audience. The Jatsitatsi multitouch wall, created as a part of a research project, uses advanced technology in a novel way to provide the audience with new experiences in public spaces.

Digital balls are flying on almost three meters wide multitouch screen at the festival’s information point on the Jazz Street in Pori, Finland. Users can stop the balls by touching them. When a user enlarges a caught ball on the screen, he can, for instance, see more information about the programme.

- The goal of the research project is to learn how to design multitouch user interfaces to make them more entertaining, functional and how the interfaces could better support collaboration between the users. In the project we test a public multitouch screen’s interface in an environment simulating circumstances of the future commercial installations, says Kai Kuikkaniemi, Project Manager and Researcher in Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT.

- Touch screens will become more common as user interfaces of a range of services. Content can be presented more effectively and it is easy to browse the content. Jatsitatsi in a new, fascinating way to explore the events and services in the Pori Jazz festival. Several users can play with the content simultaneously and the user interface changes with the use, tells Panu Mustonen, Director, Digital Media Services in Elisa.

The research project to carried out by Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT, Aalto University, Tampere University of Technology, Elisa and Nokia Siemens Networks. The multitouch display technology has been developed by MultiTouch Ltd. The research project has been funded by Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation.

Watch a video on Jatsitatsi multitouch screen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRHOB3T2ZZk

More information:
Kai Kuikkaniemi, Reseacher, Project Manager
Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT
tel. +358 50 543 9283
firstname.lastname@hiit.fi

Panu Mustonen, Director, Digital Media Services
Elisa
tel. +358 50 506 5842
firstname.lastname@elisa.fi

Niina Eeva, Marketing Manager
Pori Jazz
tel. +358 44 3637 016
firstname.lastname@porijazz.fi