NearFetch: Enhancing Touch-Based Mobile Interaction on Public Displays with an Embedded Programmable NFC Array
Qingyong Cao, J. Z. H. Zhang, Shengtao Fan, Jiaqi Rong, Menghao Qi, Zhuowen Duan, Peikun Zhao, LING LIU, Zihao Zhou, Wenjie Chen · 2024
Public displays are becoming ubiquitous in urban spaces but face challenges such as display blindness, interaction blindness, and attention competition. As mobile devices continue to evolve, people increasingly rely on smartphones as their primary means of accessing information. Recent studies suggest that integrating public displays into today’s hyperconnected society by considering their interactions with personal mobile devices will enhance public display interactions. This paper presents NearFetch, an interaction technique that enhances public displays by embedding programmable Near Field Communication (NFC) arrays within the screen. NearFetch transforms public displays into interactive surfaces for mobile devices, enabling users to access relevant information and services by simply touching the displayed content with their smartphones. The key technical contribution of NearFetch lies in the design and implementation of embedded programmable NFC arrays, which ensure consistency between Radio Frequency (RF) signals and display content. Experimental results demonstrate that NearFetch achieves an average recognition accuracy of 94.33%. System Usability Scale (SUS) and NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) questionnaire surveys indicate that NearFetch provides robust usability. The system enables seamless access to information and services on public displays, while reducing user configuration efforts, enhancing privacy, and improving interaction efficiency.