Organic User Interface

An organic user interface (OUI) is a non-flat user interface whose display may passively or actively change shape upon interaction on the surface. The use of the word “organic” refers to the philosophy of organic architecture that adopts natural forms to design a better fit with human ecology. Therefore, inputs are provided through direct physical gestures mainly. Vertegaal and Poupyrev who introduced OUIs in 2008 in Organic User Interfaces focus on the user’s perception and interaction with the display to differ between three general types of OUI:

1. Flexible: Deformable displays that use shape deformation as form of input, e.g. flexible OLED
2. Shaped: non-deformable shaped displays, e.g. geometric forms or objects or everday use
3. Actuated (or kinetic): Deformable displays with a shape controlled by a computer algorithm

Excluding non-deformable (shaped) displays from the above list, shape-changing interfaces can be considered either as a subgroup of organic user interfaces or an alternative approach to classify non-flat interface shapes concentrating on deformation properties or context of use.

Examples

PaperPhone was one of the first OUIs to introduce bend gestures on a real flexible screen. It featured a flexible electrophoretic display and an array of 5 bend sensors that allowed for user navigation of content. (see: PaperPhone: Understanding the Use of Bend Gestures in Mobile Devices with Flexible Electronic Paper Displays!)