Modality (human–computer interaction)

In human-computer interaction, a modality is the type of a sense or a sensor through which the human can receive the output from the computer, or the computer can receive the input from the human. In less formal terms, a modality is a path of communication between the human and the computer.

Computer to human modalities

Any human sense can be translated to a modality. In practice, the modalities of seeing and hearing are the most commonly employed. The following are modalities through which the computer can send information to the human:

• Major modalities
  • Seeing or vision modality
  • Hearing or audition modality
• Haptic modalities
  • Touch, tacticle or tactition modality — the sense of pressure
  • Proprioception modality — the perception of body awareness
• Other modalities
  • Taste or gustation modality
  • Smell or olfaction modality
  • Thermoception modality — the sense of heat and the cold
  • Nociception modality — the perception of pain
  • Equilibrioception modality — the perception of balance

Human to computer modalities

The computer can be equipped with various types of input devices and sensors to allow it to receive information from the human.