Design for Spatial Input

Focus is on eye’s and hands – this is personal and unique to the user.

Eyes

  • This is primary targeting method, all inputs target where you look
  • To make this we need to
    • Comfortable
      • Your canvas may be infinite, but you should design for center of field of view to minimize head and neck movements
      • Depth should be considered too, changing focus depth can cause eye strain, this is the Z position, you can move things backwards so that current action is still in the same positioning as before
    • Ease to use
      • Focus on shapes that guide to the middle of an object, so use round shapes, not sharp edges. 
      • Keep shapes flat without shadows. (Need to adjust my own items for this)
      • Right size is at least 60pt, (which includes spacing between items).  Use standard components as much as you can.  Check out Design for spatial user interfaces.
      • Scaling (larger as it go away, and smaller as it get’s closer to keep the target the same) this is default dynamic scale behavior.  Fixed scale changes target area.  Used dynamic scale as much as possible.
      • Keep UI oriented at the user to minimize eye strain – check out “Principles of spatial design”
    • Responsive
      • All interactive elements should be highlighted.  Hover effect is subtle.
      • You should add this for any custom elements
    • Intentional
      • You can use intention (long hoover) to provide tooltips or tab bar expansion
      • Focus on microphone gliph will enable voice search mode.
      • Can also provide information for assistant technology.

Hands

  • Pinch is select, pinch and drag is scroll, and pinch with two hands enable zoom and rotate
  • The above slide is the one we’ve all been looking for
  • Use these same patterns in your own app, to make it easier for users to get up to speed.
  • To create a custom gesture you should:
    • Easy to explain and perform
    • Avoid gesture conflicts
    • Comfortable and reliable
    • Accessible to everyone
    • Look at “Create Accessible spatial experiences”
    • Consider fallback
  • Using eye direction combined with hand gesture shows intent, I.e. picture zoom
  • Direct Touch – reach out and user your finger tips
    • You can use a virtual keyboard
    • Consider that direct interaction can cause fatigue- holding your hand in the air for a long time 
    • Lack of tactile response should be considered
      • Include things like UI changes and sound feedback
    • Check out Explore Immersive Sound design