2D meets 3D

Abstract

There is still a controversial debate on the usefulness of 3D user interfaces. Most of the time, 2D metaphors are force-fitted to establish a rich set of functionality. With the aim of shifting the 20-year-old 2D WIMP (windows, icons, menus, and pointing device) paradigm towards a more natural and intuitive 3D user interface, we have developed a hybrid 2D + 3D prototype targeted at immersive environments. Our complementary display and interaction environment combines visual design techniques with mixed-mode interaction to support typical tasks of information workers to the greatest potential. To achieve this, we match visualization and interaction metaphors by the principle of dimensional congruence. This results in a sophisticated and more intuitive user interface. An ongoing evaluation gives encouraging feedback and shows that even non-expert users can efficiently work with the system.