Heads-Up Computing: Moving Beyond the Device-Centered Paradigm

This article introduces our vision for a new interaction paradigm: Heads-Up Computing, a concept involving the provision of seamless computing support for daily activities. Its synergistic and user-centric approach frees humans from common constraints caused by existing interactions (e.g. smartphone zombies), made possible by matching input and output channels between the device and human. Wearable embodiments include a head- and hand-piece device which enable multimodal interactions and complementary motor movements. While flavors of this vision have been proposed in many research fields and in broader visions like UbiComp, Heads-Up Computing offers a holistic vision focused on the scope of the immediate perceptual space that matters most to users, and establishes design constraints and principles to facilitate the innovation process. We illustrate a day in the life with Heads-Up to inspire future applications and services that can significantly impact the way we live, learn, work, and play.