The Else Intuition demo presents a fresh rethink of handheld touchscreen interaction. Now that I’ve seen it, the arc-navigation architecture seems so obvious! In some ways, it feels like a logical progression of the original iPod clickwheel, brought forth into the touchscreen world, and of course optimized for single-hand use. I also enjoyed the really embellished positive acknowledgment effects (Figs. 1 & 2).
The other thing of special note is that since the interaction is based on a constant-contact method – analogous in some ways to a mouse pointer – the interface is able to utilize ‘over’ state indication. Over states – so useful on the web – have to this point not been available for touchscreen interfaces, since the interaction is binary – either you are touching the screen or you’re not. The over, or hover state, is much more of a proximity aid. The demo and screen caps show why they can be so valuable (Fig. 3). The diamond/cloud navigation seems a little odd, though, as diamonds are not efficient shapes for text boxes. Great innovation in UI.
Fig 1: He just hit the ‘Play’ button. WHOA!
Fig 2: After copying a text selection, the ‘scan light’ effect confirms the action:
Fig 3: Over state animation allows accurate navigation even when target area is quite small:
