Comments on: 10/GUI – re-thinking the multi-touch desktop http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730 Interaction Design, Design Education, Design Thoughts Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:13:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: jezza http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730&cpage=1#comment-2106 jezza Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:48:51 +0000 http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730#comment-2106 download & try it here - http://wpfcon10uum.codeplex.com/ download & try it here – http://wpfcon10uum.codeplex.com/

]]> By: Michael Zuschlag http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730&cpage=1#comment-1870 Michael Zuschlag Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:27:44 +0000 http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730#comment-1870 Don’t Mac notebooks already have multitouch touchpads? That said, this is the first use of more than two fingers in multitouch that strikes me as workable when there is no haptic feedback (like on a piano). However, it suffers the same problem found in many that other attempts to expand multitouch to more than a couple commands: poor discoverability and a certain degree of arbitrariness. The local-global levels of multitouch are suitable for expert shortcuts and cannot be the only means of interacting. Oversized desktops are an old idea, dating from at least the mid 1990s. Such desktops generally extend beyond the screen in _both_ dimensions. I’m not clear why one dimension should be superior. In any case, they don’t really scale well. It’s like having your work spread out on the dining room table, then working at it in the dark with a penlight. Managing multiple windows (or tabs) is indeed a problem. I spend a fair amount of time selecting, sizing, and moving windows. The main problems are: 1. Finding the right window/tab among dozens of others. 2. Coordinating work between windows (e.g., referring to an email while making an appointment). With most of the windows scrolled off the screen in Con10uum, I don’t see it addressing these problems any better than a thumbnail-capable taskbar/dock. Don’t Mac notebooks already have multitouch touchpads? That said, this is the first use of more than two fingers in multitouch that strikes me as workable when there is no haptic feedback (like on a piano). However, it suffers the same problem found in many that other attempts to expand multitouch to more than a couple commands: poor discoverability and a certain degree of arbitrariness. The local-global levels of multitouch are suitable for expert shortcuts and cannot be the only means of interacting.

Oversized desktops are an old idea, dating from at least the mid 1990s. Such desktops generally extend beyond the screen in _both_ dimensions. I’m not clear why one dimension should be superior. In any case, they don’t really scale well. It’s like having your work spread out on the dining room table, then working at it in the dark with a penlight. Managing multiple windows (or tabs) is indeed a problem. I spend a fair amount of time selecting, sizing, and moving windows. The main problems are: 1. Finding the right window/tab among dozens of others. 2. Coordinating work between windows (e.g., referring to an email while making an appointment). With most of the windows scrolled off the screen in Con10uum, I don’t see it addressing these problems any better than a thumbnail-capable taskbar/dock.

]]> By: Jack Moffett http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730&cpage=1#comment-1865 Jack Moffett Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:55:30 +0000 http://davemalouf.com/?p=1730#comment-1865 A very thorough and thoughtful analysis, Dave. I completely agree with it. A very thorough and thoughtful analysis, Dave. I completely agree with it.

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