Maarten van Dantzich

Data mountain: using spatial memory for document management

Effective management of documents on computers has been a central user interface problem for many years. One common approach involves using 2D spatial layouts of icons representing the documents, particularly for information workspace tasks. This approach takes advantage of human 2D spatial cognition. More recently, several 3D spatial layouts have engaged 3D spatial cognition capabilities. Some have attempted to use spatial memory in 3D virtual environments. However, there has been no proof to date that spatial memory works the same way in 3D virtual environments as it does in the real world. We describe a new technique for document management called the Data Mountain, which allows users to place documents at arbitrary positions on an inclined plane in a 3D desktop virtual environment using a simple 2D interaction technique. We discuss how the design evolved in response to user feedback. We also describe a user study that shows that the Data Mountain does take advantage of spatial memory. Our study shows that the Data Mountain has statistically reliable advantages over the Microsoft Internet Explorer Favorites mechanism for managing documents of interest in an information workspace.

The Task Gallery: a 3D window manager

The Task Gallery is a window manager that uses interactive 3D graphics to provide direct support for task management and document comparison, lacking from many systems implementing the desktop metaphor. User tasks appear as artwork hung on the walls of a virtual art gallery, with the selected task on a stage. Multiple documents can be selected and displayed side-by-side using 3D space to provide uniform and intuitive scaling. The Task Gallery hosts any Windows application, using a novel redirection mechanism that routes input and output between the 3D environment and unmodified 2D Windows applications. User studies suggest that the Task Gallery helps with task management, is enjoyable to use, and that the 3D metaphor evokes spatial memory and cognition.

Scope: providing awareness of multiple notifications at a glance

We describe the design and functionality of the Scope, a glanceable notification summarizer. The Scope is an information visualization designed to unify notifications and minimize distractions. It allows users to remain aware of notifications from multiple sources of information, including e-mail, instant messaging, information alerts, and appointments. The design employs a circular radar-like screen divided into sectors that group different kinds of notifications. The more urgent a notification is, the more centrally it is placed. Visual emphasis and annotation is used to reveal important properties of notifications. Several natural gestures allow users to zoom in on particular regions and to selectively drill down on items. We present key aspects of the Scope design, review the results of an initial user study, and describe the motivation and outcome of an iteration on the visual design.

Visualizing implicit queries for information management and retrieval

In this paper, we describe the use of similarity metrics in anovel visual environment for storing and retrieving favorite webpages. The similarity metrics, called Implicit Queries, areused to automatically highlight stored web pages that are relatedto the currently selected web page. Two experiments explored howusers manage their personal web information space with and withoutthe Implicit Query highlighting and later retrieve their stored webpages. When storing and organizing web pages, users with ImplicitQuery highlighting generated slightly more categories. ImplicitQueries also led to faster web page retrieval time, although theresults were not statistically significant.

Immersion in desktop virtual reality

This paper explores techniques for evaluating and improving immersion in Desktop Virtual Reality (VR). Three experiments are reported which extend findings on immersion in VR reported by Pausch et al. [9]. In the current experiments, a visual search paradigm was used to examine navigation in Desktop VR both with and without navigational aids. Pausch et al. found that non-head tracked users took significantly longer than predicted when the search target was absent, which was interpreted as indicative of a loss of sense of immersion. Our first experiment extended the Pausch et al. experiment to a desktop display. Our findings differ in that search times matched prediction when the target was absent, indicating that the Pausch et al. study does not transfer to Desktop VR. In the second and third experiments, our visual search task was performed while navigating a set of 3D hallways. We introduce a new navigation aid called Peripheral L.enses, intended to provide simulated peripheral vision. Informal studies suggested that Peripheral Lenses decrease search time, indicating an enhanced sense of immersion in Desktop VR. However, formal studies contradict that, demonstrating the importance of formal usability studies in the development of user interface software. We also gained evidence that visual attention findings transfer to Desktop VR.

Toolspaces and glances: storing, accessing, and retrieving objects in 3D desktop applications

Users of 3D desktop applications perform tasks that require accessing data storage, moving objects, and navigation. These operations are typically performed using 2D GUI elements or 3D widgets. We wish to focus on interaction with 3D widgets directly in the 3D world, rather than forcing our users to repeatedly switch contexts between 2D and 3D. However, the use of 3D widgets requires a mechanism for storing, accessing, and retrieving these widgets. In this paper we present foolspuces and glances to provide this capability for 3D widgets and other objects in interactive 3D worlds. Toolspaces are storage spaces attached to the user’s virtual body; objects placed in these spaces are always accessible yet out of the user’s view until needed. Users access these toolspaces to store and retrieve objects through a type of lightweight and ephemeral navigation we call glances. CR

Text in 3D: some legibility results

3D user interfaces for productivity applications often display object labels or whole documents in arrangements where the text is rotated instead of screen aligned. Rotating a document sideways saves screen real estate while allowing inspection of the documents content. This paper reports on an initial reading speed study of text rotated around a vertical axis and manipulated in size. We found that with sufficient rendering quality small text can be substantially rotated before reading performance suffers, and large text legibility is nearly unaffected by rotation. The empirically derived guidelines we present are the first published for 3D text and important for the design of 3D information visualizations.

Application redirection: hosting Windows applications in 3D

We present Application Redirection, a novel architecture that lets unmodified Windows applications be hosted in a 3D virtual environment. The result is a platform for experimentation in 3D Information Visualization in which the user retains all familiar productivity tools This paper describes the implementation of Application Redirection, using the Task Gallery to illustrate how it is used