  This UIST Vision argues that "touch" input and interaction remains in its
infancy when viewed in context of the seen but unnoticed vocabulary of natural
human behaviors, activity, and environments that surround direct interaction
with displays. Unlike status-quo touch interaction -- a shadowplay of fingers
on a single screen -- I argue that our perspective of direct interaction should
encompass the full rich context of individual use (whether via touch, sensors,
or in combination with other modalities), as well as collaborative activity
where people are engaged in local (co-located), remote (tele-present), and
hybrid work. We can further view touch through the lens of the "Society of
Devices," where each person's activities span many complementary, oft-distinct
devices that offer the right task affordance (input modality, screen size,
aspect ratio, or simply a distinct surface with dedicated purpose) at the right
place and time. While many hints of this vision already exist (see references),
I speculate that a comprehensive program of research to systematically
inventory, sense, and design interactions around such human behaviors and
activities -- and that fully embrace touch as a multi-modal, multi-sensor,
multi-user, and multi-device construct -- could revolutionize both individual
and collaborative interaction with technology.
