Mapping actions to display

To get different idea for display and action mapping, I've backtracked a bit and started looking at the tasks, in am effort to categorize the different display methods. For example, the iTunes menu which looks like flicking through books in a library is a random item list, move the items, characterized actions and I assume it loops.

The categories so far are

1. Random Items vs. Set Items
2. Move the items vs. Move the Environment
3. Items Standalone vs. Items are part of environment
   
4. Arbitrary control actions vs. characterized action
5. Looping vs. bookends
6. preview next vs. no preview
7. Internal viewpoint vs external viewpoint
   

http://earthlingsoft.net/hacks/Application%20Rotator%20Screenshot.jpeg
The idea from is a method for testing people expectations for movement. It is easy for a person to desribe what they expect the cube to do when performing an action.

http://www.omegacreative.com/
The menu "mouse-over" displays menu highlight if the cursor enters and exits from the top. Though the name seems to be looping when the blue bit doesn't.

http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/treemaps/taskgallery.gif
http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/treemaps.asp
First is a nice view of a room style menu. The page it is on show a larger number of different types.

http://lunapark6.com/?p=2501
Ubuntu's implements the cube rotation idea and include the idea of internal vs. external viewpoint

http://linuxgazette.net/issue18/gx/ayers/gears.gif
This shows the possible ways of highlighting the interdependences of tasks

http://www.xbox-modchips.com/img/sony-psx-madden-nfl-99-screenshot-big.jpg
Picture of Madden, movement selection is to the next player, but the idea of fowards and backs to identify different levels of controls can be extrapolated.

Dumb Stuff:
Running a monitor with high resolution, I still had trouble with this site. Had fun trying to see the top row of pictures. Would not be impressed if I paid for this.
http://www.biskero.org/?page_id=111

Redone gesture set

After using the Wiimote for a half time presentation, using the "specification" list of movement is no good. Some of the movement make sense but other are more uncomfortable. For example, move the Wiimote along the Z axis (Foward in space) is difficult and pulling the remote backwards is better detected using the up axis instade of the flat axis because of the way the Wiimote is held.

Hence a new gesture list is needed. The following gesture set is describe as if the Wiimote begins at an inital state of point foward, thumb on top.

Single Gesture Actions.
Simple

1. RelAccX +/- : swiping
2. RelAccY : pull up and back bending at elbow
3. pitch 90 deg : pitch at wrist
   
4. roll 180 deg : rotation at wrist

Hard

1. RelAccZ : puching foward or backward

Double Motion Gestures

1. RelAccY+
   
1. RelAccY
   
2. Z
   
3. Roll
   
4. Pitch
2. Roll
   
1. "RelAccY"
   
2. "Roll"
3. Pitch
1. RelAccX
2. RelAccZ
   
4. RellAccX
1. RelAccX
2. RelAccY

Complex Action List

1. Page Turn
1. RelAccX
2. RelAccX and Roll
2. Push to Side
1. Roll
2. RelAccY
3. Circles
1. Map the cursor movement to some measurement (pitch and roll)
2. Map movement to matrix
3. If cursor stays within boundaries accept the gesture

With this new list of gestures the control for the menu moves for simple "specification" movement basis and begins mapping to different movements and limits some movements.

The fun of this is that some tasks that in a 2d Environment are the same thing, with the 3d control they are completely different. Take volume and zoom. In 2d they are usually the same, but in 3d Zoom naturally involves foward and back whereas, Volume is Up and down.

Stuff for 25th May

From 18th May Meeting,

Presentation Points;

1. There is a balance between Content and slides
1. If the slides are vague be specific
   
2. Demostrate and explain your point
3. Spell it out, show off and leave no doubt
4. Don't dance around the point
5. It's a scientific process, no Mates, instead sample
6. Keep the background sim ple and bring the audience into the deeper stuff
7. Reduce the thesis statment as much as possible
8. Keep the Elevator pitch short and sweet.
1. Once the standard elevator pitch is complete, build on it useing audience specific expansion
   

Other stuff related to project

• Mapping
• Make the the gesture correspond to the appropriate actions on screen.
  
• If a user performs a function, the screen should show perform an action that maps to the function.
  
• From the map of on-screen action and gesture.
• The gestures can be desccribed to match tasks.
  
• The menu design can then be created by creating a display that shows the actions and includes the tasks. Therefore the gesture will be best mapped to the on-screen task, which displayed through athe appropriate action
• Sketching
• An important note is that having sketches performed the development can progress in new/more easily understood ways. The sketches themselves may not actually be progressed further but other aspects of the project/design process can be.
  
• Design
• A hand is going to be a pain to animated. Keep it simple, try a method using a simple display of the wiimote.
  
• Idea
• 3d/2d representatin ideas
• Table: rotation, desktop,
  
• Conveyerbelt: slide, rotate,
  

Things to do:
Go a see D and get ideas of how stuff inb represented in 3d (I.E. table, conveyor belt) also get a list of possible ways to representing data in 2d (I.E. rotation, sliding, waterfall, desktop)

Computer broke all week. Lot's of fun. Thinking about designs.

Four differnt characters which represent each media device. Think different colored jelly babys with symbols on the front. Each systems have a different personality(task list). Also give the chance for people to say "No, not him, You do it".

Haven't sketched it up, been trying to get this presentation done. Made a booking for 10:40 Monday morning.

Found this in the mean time

http://www.wiredprairie.us/journal/usability_and_design/
nice bit about configuration gluttony in the Symphony Post. 2nd last.

-SRE

Deixis

Deixis, words rely absolutly on context
Anaphora, word reference themselves E.g. This sentence is false.

Anaphora needs to be resoluted when taken out of context. The banana is yellow. It has a skin.
"It has a skin" it taken by itself mut be resoluted as "The banana has a skin."

"The Banana is yellow. It has a skin" is also an exophora whcih means the meanign must be taken out of the smae text.

May 4th stuff

Brief meeting.

Stuff covered;

Deixis: refereeing to things is using contextual awareness to clear ambiguity.

Bases for new sketches. Treat the interaction between the user and the PC as a conversation that includes ambiguity, The purpose of the software is to achieve the information needed either with the ambiguity or by removing ambiguity.

-SRE

Windows Media Center SDK

Vista's Media Center has an SDK out. Going to have a chat with the guys at Harvey Norman to see what that's all about. I doubt they know anything though.

http://blog.mediacentersandbox.com/CategoryView,category,SDK.aspx

-SRE