What can Google Earth tell us about interface navigation design? Today, I’ve covered several basic navigational methods within Google Earth. It is a free software that allows you explore the earth and view satellite images, maps, terrain, etc of just about anywhere in the world. Google Earth is available for PC/Mac and iPhone/iPod Touch. I will also be reviewing Google Earth using a Wiimote and two differentGlovePIE scripts.
There are four basic navigational controls in Google Earth:
(Note: Pitch is tilting the Wiimote up/down. Roll is tilting the Wiimote left/right. IR refers to the Wiimote’s infrared motion sensing capabilities, i.e. pointing on an xy plane.)
Zoom
Slider on right (mouse click) Scroll wheel up/down (mouse)
Right click up/down (mouse)
Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down (keyboard)
=/- (keyboard) Pinch (iPod gesture)
Double tap (iPod gesture) +/- buttons (Wiimote)
B+IR (Wiimote)
Pan
Hand wheel (mouse click)
Drag (mouse)
WASD (keyboard) Up, Down, Left, Right (keyboard) Drag (iPod gesture) Pitch/Roll (Wiimote)
A+IR (Wiimote)
It’s quite interesting to note that the Wiimote, as a tangible user interface and game controller, is used similarly to keyboard and mouse gestures. The buttons act as a keyboard replacement, and the Wiimote’s IR capabilities are used for pointing as in a mouse. However, when relying on the Wiimote’s accelerometers (pitch/roll), the functions are more gesture-based, i.e. rotating and tilting the Wiimote to create similar functions on the screen.
If there are buttons or keys involved (keyboard/mouse, Wiimote), they will inevitably be used in interface navigation. The iPod Touch, which features mainly a touch-screen interface, uses intuitive finger gestures for navigation. These devices are designed for a purpose with a specific type of interaction in mind, and the Wiimote’s is gaming-related. For example, in a bowling game, a computer’s interface might involve clicking and dragging to roll the ball, the iPod Touch would require a “rolling” gesture with the device as if one was throwing it as a bowling ball (ex. iBowl), and a Wii game would involve a similar rolling gesture with the Wii remote (Wii Sports Bowling).
One of the research questions that my thesis tackles is, how can we move beyond using the Wiimote as a traditional game controller (similar to function mapping, like on a keyboard), and take advantage of its gesture recognition features? For inspiration, we can look to the kinds of gestures used in Wii games. We can design applications where gesture-based interaction is more intuitive than a point and click interface. Similarly, we can take an existing application (like Google Earth) and re-map its functions to fit a gesture-based user interface.
How many ways can you use Google Earth?
What can Google Earth tell us about interface navigation design? Today, I’ve covered several basic navigational methods within Google Earth. It is a free software that allows you explore the earth and view satellite images, maps, terrain, etc of just about anywhere in the world. Google Earth is available for PC/Mac and iPhone/iPod Touch. I will also be reviewing Google Earth using a Wiimote and two different GlovePIE scripts.
There are four basic navigational controls in Google Earth:
(Note: Pitch is tilting the Wiimote up/down. Roll is tilting the Wiimote left/right. IR refers to the Wiimote’s infrared motion sensing capabilities, i.e. pointing on an xy plane.)
Zoom
Slider on right (mouse click)
Scroll wheel up/down (mouse)
Right click up/down (mouse)
Ctrl+Shift+Up/Down (keyboard)
=/- (keyboard)
Pinch (iPod gesture)
Double tap (iPod gesture)
+/- buttons (Wiimote)
B+IR (Wiimote)
Pan
Hand wheel (mouse click)
Drag (mouse)
WASD (keyboard)
Up, Down, Left, Right (keyboard)
Drag (iPod gesture)
Pitch/Roll (Wiimote)
A+IR (Wiimote)
Tilt
Up/down on eye wheel (mouse click)
Ctrl+Drag up/down (keyboard/mouse)
Shift+Drag up/down [centered] (keyboard/mouse)
Ctrl+Up/down (keyboard)
Shift+Up/down [centered] (keyboard)
Tilt up (iPod gesture)
B+Pitch (Wiimote)
Rotate
Round slider (mouse drag)
Left/right on eye wheel (mouse click)
Right click left/right (mouse)
Ctrl+Drag left/right (keyboard/mouse)
Shift+Drag left/right [centered] (keyboard/mouse)
Ctrl+Left/right (keyboard)
Shift+Left/right [centered] (keyboard)
2-finger rotate (iPod gesture)
B+Roll (Wiimote)
A+B+IR (Wiimote)
It’s quite interesting to note that the Wiimote, as a tangible user interface and game controller, is used similarly to keyboard and mouse gestures. The buttons act as a keyboard replacement, and the Wiimote’s IR capabilities are used for pointing as in a mouse. However, when relying on the Wiimote’s accelerometers (pitch/roll), the functions are more gesture-based, i.e. rotating and tilting the Wiimote to create similar functions on the screen.
If there are buttons or keys involved (keyboard/mouse, Wiimote), they will inevitably be used in interface navigation. The iPod Touch, which features mainly a touch-screen interface, uses intuitive finger gestures for navigation. These devices are designed for a purpose with a specific type of interaction in mind, and the Wiimote’s is gaming-related. For example, in a bowling game, a computer’s interface might involve clicking and dragging to roll the ball, the iPod Touch would require a “rolling” gesture with the device as if one was throwing it as a bowling ball (ex. iBowl), and a Wii game would involve a similar rolling gesture with the Wii remote (Wii Sports Bowling).
One of the research questions that my thesis tackles is, how can we move beyond using the Wiimote as a traditional game controller (similar to function mapping, like on a keyboard), and take advantage of its gesture recognition features? For inspiration, we can look to the kinds of gestures used in Wii games. We can design applications where gesture-based interaction is more intuitive than a point and click interface. Similarly, we can take an existing application (like Google Earth) and re-map its functions to fit a gesture-based user interface.