Understand what multimodal ecosystems are and their application areas in industry
Human-Machine communication made natural
Humans are intrinsically multimodal creatures: we communicate simultaneously through various channels, such as our voice, our eyes, our body...
Multimodal interaction develops the multiplicity of communication channels in our relationship with a digital system. In this way, we can adopt a form of communication closer to our natural functioning, taking advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of the various devices at our disposal, and dedicating cognitive resources to the business task at hand, reducing the burden of using the system.
Integrate immersive technologies into existing uses
At Immersalis, we are convinced that the adequacy and successful adoption of immersive technologies among users requires careful integration within existing tools and uses. It is therefore necessary to create bridges that will allow users to move serenely from one to the other.
Multimodal interaction is particularly suited to this approach, as it favours integrating innovative technologies into well-established uses.
Communicate in a more natural way by multiplying channels
"Put that there." : using my finger, I point to the object I want to move, then point to the place where I want to put it. What could be more natural for us? For the computer, it's a different matter: it has to understand the vocal command, recognize the pointing gesture, determine the object pointed to and then the location; and finally, assemble all this information into a coherent whole.
This is what multimodality involves in practice: implementing and combining various ways of interacting to create a "natural" dialogue. This allows the user to focus his cognitive resources on the business task, and not on the interaction with the computer. As such, multimodal interaction is becoming an essential part of our digital transformation. With the ever-increasing amount of information to be processed, it is imperative to take advantage of our natural ability to communicate through several vectors simultaneously.
What is the practical value of multimodal interaction?
The increase in complexity of the systems induces in the users an increase in cognitive load: instead of focusing on the task at hand, the user dedicates an increasing part of his cognitive resources to how to use the system to achieve his goals. Multimodal systems expand the communication bandwidth between the user and the system. By offering a communication scheme closer to the human one, they do not overload the user cognitively, which reduces the probability of error.
Multimodal design is based on both technical and human considerations. On the one hand, it is necessary to know the different systems available, their strengths and their limitations; on the other hand, it is necessary to take into account the user's functioning, to understand his activity and the ecosystem in which it takes place. Knowing how to choose the technology that will answer a problem is important, but knowing how to implement it within an activity is critical.
