Creative
3-D Display and Interaction Interfaces:
A Trans-Disciplinary Approach
by Barry G. Blundell and Adam J. Schwarz
John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey,
U.S.A., 2005
371 pp., illus. Trade, $94.95
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 0-471-48271-4.
Reviewed by Paul Hertz
The Collaboratory Project, Northwestern
University, Evanston, Illinois
paul-hertz@northwestern.edu
While graphical user interfaces have clearly
replaced command-line interfaces, 3D interfaces,
once hailed as the next generation beyond
"2.5-D" desktop GUIs, have not
had a similar success. Pondering this
situation, the authors of 3-D Display
and Interaction Interfaces state in
their introduction that the issue probably
has more to do with the complexities of
interface design than with the potential
usefulness of 3D displays and interfaces.
Blundell and Schwarz pull together most
of the diverse fields that converge in
interface design to create a trans-disciplinary
approach to 3D interfaces that, given
the brevity of the text, serves more to
point the reader in some useful directions
than to fully educate her. Computer technology,
cognitive science, and some of the mathematics
involved in both fields form the core
of the book, which also ventures into
art history and visual design. Current
research in testing human-computer interfaces
appears interspersed through key chapters.
Suggested projects close each chapter.
Appendices, a bibliography, an extensive
list of references, and a full index make
up for the "survey" approach
and the cursory treatment of some topics.
Thanks to these thoughtful additions,
the book functions as it was intended:
as an introductory text for researchers
or graduate level courses. The authors
demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge
of art history and the interchanges between
art and technology as they pertain to
the representation of three dimensions,
but largely confine their discussion to
the past, bypassing a wealth of contemporary
theory on representation and visual codes.
This is unfortunate, as some of the contemporary
critiques of representation are pertinent
to interface design. Nevertheless, digital
artists fascinated by the technical aspects
of their instruments or the human perceptual
apparatus will find this a valuable book.
From the beginning the authors propose
a design process based on constraints
and affordances, where hardware and software
capabilities accommodate human cognitive
capabilities through iterative research,
prototyping, and testing. The text covers
not just visual interfaces, but auditory
and haptic interfaces that function in
three dimensions, and discusses the issues
raised by coupling diverse sensory input
and interaction systems. Above all, the
authors want readers to reflect on the
potential of 3D interaction and display
interfaces to convey information or enable
task execution. They argue that some domains
of data exploration, communication, and
task execution can be accomplished optimally
by 3D systems. If the reader, along with
the authors, is left wondering what these
domains and interfaces might be, it may
be due to the difficulty of the testing
phase of design. Measuring interface effectiveness
is difficult in two dimensions, let alone
in three. The authors are very candid
about the difficulties of creating 3D
interfaces that can be as effective as
current 2D GUIs, and supply several references
in the text and bibliography on interface
testing. One comes away from this book
with the sense that 3D interfaces and
displays are in their infancy. They have
not fulfilled the hype of "virtual
reality," but what could? Artificial
intelligence in its original and newsworthy
formulation seems also to have been illusory,
and yet its critique and recasting into
smaller problem areas such as robotics
and computer vision has been extremely
productive. With its mix of candor and
enthusiasm, this book makes a strong case
for the future development of 3D display
and interaction systems. Artists and researchers
in the field may have cause for optimismat
the very least Creative 3-D Display
and Interaction Interfaces offers
them a well-grounded point of departure.