Using your fingers to think: enabling subjective routing with a rubber band metaphor

There is a class of complex problems where solutions must satisfy multiple subjective criteria, while meeting specific quantifiable constraints. Route planning for leisurely travel is an example of a problem in this class. Constraints including total available time, transit times, and one's budget and subjective interests determine whether a potential solution is acceptable to a prospective traveler.

In this paper we present a route planning (routing) interface that metaphorically leverages various elastic properties of a rubber band to allow for playful interaction with the relevant constraints. Each of these properties — attenuation, tension, and color — were integrated into an experimental system and then investigated in a series of task-based evaluations.

Our research shows this playful interaction enables potential travelers to explore the solution space in order to find a route that meets, not only the easily quantifiable constraints, but also their own subjective preferences.