Interfaces, metaphors & multi-touch

Spaceballs and Wii Wands

The Space Ball is a great example of an alternative to keyboard and mouse control - moving the ball you can intuitively control items in 3D space. The problem is that these are not consumer devices – you can buy a mouse for $5 but a Space Ball costs a whopping $499. Even their budget SpaceTraveller joystick costs $199, and because it’s a joystick it’s not as intuitive as the more expensive ball device.


A 3D controller need not cost so much. The wand controller, upcoming with the Nintendo Wii, is capable of detecting movement in 6 Degrees of Freedom (DoF), just like the expensive SpaceBall and traveller. What’s more it has to be cheap - this is consumer grade electronics. You could even conceivably use a wand in each hand for an even greater range of control – perhaps one wand to control the object and another to control the camera.

While these products allow direct manipulation in 3D, they still have one shortcoming: you still have to associate an action performed with an object with what’s happening on the screen. If you’ve ever taught someone to use a computer you’ll know this problem intimately. Getting someone to turn on a computer is no big problem, but telling them to “move the mouse and click the little blue E on the desktop” often causes problems.

First they look at the desktop for a bit. Then you’ll say “put your hand on the mouse and push it about” and you’ll get to see that glimpse of satisfaction people get, often followed by a scowl of concentration when you instruct them to double click the icon.


Invariably a novice will look at the mouse so they can see which is the left mouse button – if you’re lucky they’ll take their hand off and stab at it from above (cool to see). It’s natural to look at your hands when you’re using them, in real life if you don’t they might get cut off.

This is why touchscreens are so popular in information kiosks. If you put up a menu on a screen, anyone who can read the language or the icons will be able to use the device with great ease – just prod what you want to select and you’re already using the interface to its full potential.