Tactile Dashboard
The Tactile Dashboard is a lo-tech process management tool that relies on the use of simple touchscreen technology, a user interface & physical interaction to communicate and adjust project timelines.
From receiving the client go-ahead on a quote to ordering supplies from an outside vendor, coordination is key to keeping a project timeline on track. Every gap in the process or change to a deadline comes at a cost, and when milestones are communicated verbally, there is increased room for error. During a collaboration with Amuneal Manufacturing Corporation, we developed a user interface to help the staff achieve a collective understanding of project processes. Using research into cognitive psychology and simple touch-screen technology, our design transforms project scheduling from verbal, to visual and physical.
Technology developed by Johnny Lee, a researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, made our project feasible. Using a Wiimote, an infrared pen 
and open-source software, any surface can be turned into a touch-screen with 80% of the capabilities of a Smartboard for 1/100 of the cost ($60).
Using research into cognitive psychology related to digital interfaces, we developed a simple and intuitive interface that allows users to:
- drag and drop process phases into a project schedule
- stretch and shrink process phases
- arrange projects by priority
- e-mail or print the current state of projects
- physically interact with coworkers to achieve mutually desired schedules
A tool of this kind can affords the ability to understand the effects of changing a project schedule in real time, which will ultimately help save time and money by minimizing gaps in the process.
Click on the link to the right to see a video of how the technology works and our design in action!
