Improving scalability and awareness in iconic interfaces for multiple-device environments

  • Authors:
  • Jacob T. Biehl;Brian P. Bailey

  • Affiliations:
  • University of Illinois, Urbana, IL;University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the working conference on Advanced visual interfaces
  • Year:
  • 2006

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Abstract

Iconic interfaces offer a promising interaction metaphor for effectively managing applications in multi-device environments. However, current implementations scale poorly for even a modest number of applications and do not allow users to maintain adequate awareness of the workspace. To overcome these limitations, we have designed new interaction techniques and prototyped them within a new iconic interface. Our interface uses zooming and animation-based interactions to improve scalability and uses application icons and portal views with real-time updates to enhance awareness. Results from a user study confirm the efficacy of these techniques. These techniques can be used to improve the broader class of iconic and portal-based interfaces.