Reflection & Lessons Learned

This is a list of ideas and lessons that we learned about innovating in 3D user interfaces. It derived from reflecting upon the process of coming up and developing our own design (VIGOR), as well the designs of fellow students in the class. It also encompasses philosophies and perspectives that we came across in our readings and discussions.

• Innovating in design, in general, has greatly to do with emotional impact; most novel designs pocess some kind of attribute(s) that makes you express awe (the 'wow' factor)
• One significant catalyst for emotional impact is fun (or joy); making things fun improves the user experience in everyday activities (the fun theory), but can also mobilize innovation by means of making users be part of a new 'cool' way of doing things (through identity, accomplishment, and sensation)
• Designing for innovation is not trivial!
• One way to innovate is observe things from a totally different angle than the one people have been doing so far; e.g., use a device with a different way than the one originally intended (kinect fusion), or develop new ways of interacting with conventional interfaces/artifacts (transform the iPad into a slingshot)
• Innovation in 3DUIs can stem from two disparate approaches: coming up with new technologies to support improved ways of performing tasks (google glasses), or using existing technolgies in new ways for the same purpose (MRI scanner with kinect)
• Another distinction is the application area; 3DI techniques for scanning medical data sets can bring novelty in a specific work domain, while manipulating water virtually can be seen as a more artistic and entertaining kind of novelty
• It is potentially easier to design novel 3DUIs by insterting ambiguity in the initial concept and let the design process and actual usage define the outcome; this can be afforded in artistic/entertaining experiences (like VIGOR) but not when designing tools for efficient task performance (e.g., data set manipulation)
• Let your imagination totally free during the brainstorming/ideation sessions (a'la IDEO); constraining your ideas based on what you know or existing/similar uses of technology will not get you too novel outcomes (VIGOR started as a vague, day dreaming idea)
• As specific 3DUI technologies proliferate it is much more difficult to come up with innovative uses for them, simply because too many people have invested in the exact same thing before you! (...either for research puproses or simply for fun)
• Another approach to innovation is combine technologies in ways nobody else has thought before, which explains why it is actually difficult when technologies have been out for long periods of time
• Yet another one, is to foster collaborative 3DUI techniques in activities which were thought to be solitary up to now; examples being VIGOR as a full body gaming interface for remotely-located players, and Microsoft's Livespace for performing co-located collaborative tasks in real space