A device and method are provided to provide haptic signals when a user touches the device. In one embodiment, the haptic signal provided represents a summary of messages or notifications accumulated since the user last touched the device. In another embodiment, the haptic signal corresponds to the presence or absence of specific messages or persons attempting to contact the user. In another embodiment, the haptic signal corresponds to arbitrary input from a remote user. In another embodiment, the haptic signal corresponds to a user-authored mapping between a data source and the haptic signal.