Eric Bier||Ken Fishkin||Maureen Stone
Xerox Parc||Xerox Parc||Xerox Parc
The Magic Lens Interface
December 9, 1994
Traditional workstation user interface design separates the
tools from the work by clustering the tools (typically encoded
as menus) around the application work area. To perform an operation,
the user must select a tool and its point of application separately.
If the optimal use of the tool requires an alternate view of
the application, selecting the view must be performed as an additional
step. The Magic Lens(TM) Interface places tools on movable, transparent
sheets that overlay the work area. The user positions these sheets
over the application and operates through the tools on the objects
beneath. These tools can also contain visual filters called "magic
lenses" that modify the view of objects seen through them.
By positioning the tools over the work, we can combine the selection
of the view, the tool and its point of application into one operation.
The Magic Lens Interface is an exciting new design space for
tools that can be applied both within and across applications.
It can be constructed to make good use of two hands, where one
hand moves the sheet to position tools and the other operates
through the tools. Tools can be composed by overlapping, providing
a graphical way to construct complex tools out of simple ones.
The interface can be scaled for displays of all sizes, from palmtops
to wall sized displays. This talk will describe the Magic Lens
Interface and demonstrate its application in a variety of areas.
Eric Bier received a PhD in computer graphics from UC Berkeley
in 1988 and has worked at PARC full time since. His research
includes new techniques for interactive computer graphics, user
interface layout, active documents, multi-user editors, and two-handed
user interfaces. These techniques and systems include: the Gargoyle
and Gargoyle3d graphical editors, skitters and jacks for 3D editing,
snap-dragging, graphical search and replace, EmbeddedButtons
active documents, the Multi-Device Multi-User Multi-Editor (MMM),
and the Magic Lens Interface. Eric now manages a small group
called Graphics and Interaction Research in the Information Sciences
and Technologies Lab at PARC.
Maureen Stone began her career at Xerox in 1978 working on
the Griffin graphical illustration system. This work inspired
her to spend the next 16 years at Xerox PARC doing research in
interactive graphics, spline algorithms, device independent color
reproduction and user interaction techniques. From 1989 to 1994
she managed a research group focused on digital color and computer
graphics. She is currently a Principal Scientist in the Graphics
and Interaction Research Area in the Information Sciences and
Technologies Laboratory. She received her BS and MS in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Illinois, and a MS in Computer
Science from Caltech.
Ken Fishkin is a member of the Graphics and Interaction Research
group at Xerox PARC. Since receiving a MS in Computer Graphics
from UC Berkeley in 1983, he has held a variety of jobs in industry,
focusing on 2D graphics, user interfaces, and color. Ken has
been at PARC since 1991, where his work has focused on color
science, image manipulation, and the Magic Lens user interface
paradigm. |
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