This paradigm affords appropriation of a pre-existing, intuitive mental model that provides spatial relations by imagining the locations in the grid layout of multiple “cells”. Design recommendations within this paradigm address information foraging, varying information granularity, and construction or recollection of mental models.

This paradigm aims to “translate” the types of spatial-topological properties found in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to a medium perceivable through touch.

The haptic and spatial affordances of physical controllers such as simple layout of buttons, perceptually distinguishable and customisable buttons, as well as vibro-tactile stimuli, offer significantly more accessible experiences. Features include haptic feedback to indicate visual-spatial information and reduce audio-overload through vibration notifications, along with a metaphor-based onboarding approach.

This paradigm looks at the potential for AI to enable dialogical interaction, curate information for relevance, and customize output to individual needs.