WOTW – 40

Hello everyone. Another week is almost behind us and we have a new technology to explore. In one of my UI channels I’ve found a really nice presentation of 3D UI from a Canadian based company which I would like to share with you.

I’m not sure how it works in a real environment and how this affects the user experience, but it’s real step forward in usability and file management. As you probably remember back in 1999 Linux had developed an interface which used multiple spaces and  allowed users  switch between screens using a “Short Key”. In 2003 we saw a more developed version of this application in OS X 10.3. This OS X system was nicely implemented by Apple in all their systems and also featured the Expose application which brings to front all active spaces. There was also the option of visual switch, allowing users to to easily transits between user accounts. This was visualised in a form of a cube that would rotate the whole user environment.

YOUTUBE

Canadian based company  – bumptop.com/ presents their solution as an interactive space mapped in a 3D CUBE. The cube acts as a 3Denvironment in which the user can interact with pictures, documents and even video files. In many cases this solution is real step forward in the development of interactive environments. Although this is the exiting step forward, a few questions still remain unanswered as to how usable and effective this application will be. None the less, this application will spark alot of discussions in the UX world.

Key question

“How do you control this”

Mouse

It appears that using a mouse may well have it’s limitations, for example how does one navigate the Z-axis? Some may argue that the mouse wheel will suffice, however this will leave the user experience rigid and limited. Also the the new “Mask-Select” feature also looks as though it could pose some potential problems when using a standard mouse, the issue comes when trying to select a number of desktop documents as the circular selection doesn’t translate accurately when using a mouse.

Pen

Although a specialist tool and not so commonly used in the commercial market, a graphics pen is a more suitable tool for this environment. If you have had an opportunity ever use a graphics pen and are used to working with a tablet you might be more familiar with alternate behaviours and ways of interacting than the standard “mouse users”. But still, the limitations of 3d interaction pose issues for the graphical pen.

Touch

Touch itself is great – if you have ever had an opportunity to work with this technology  you will know it is hard not to just play with the features? Jared Spool joked in one of his presentations that if we had to interact all day with applications using our hands and physically move objects around a virtual space, apart from cool – this would be extremely tiring.

So if we can imagine real user and his needs this is not a final destination to work, but definitely this is a huge progress and step forward. I guess for short introduction this is enough. You can track and follow all their links or other channels by VIMEO, YOUTUBE or even FLICKR and FACEBOOK

VIMEO CHANNEL