Comment Questioning the "WIMP paradigm" (Score 1) 188
Perhaps it is time to have some new UI style. After reading this article, a silly little idea that I had been toying with a few years back came into my head: touch screens with reconfigurable control displays a la Star Trek NG and beyond. Naturally, voice dictation and control would also be a part of this system. Three years ago, such a system would not have been very feasible. However, with recent advances in voice dictation and display technologies, it may be a possibility.
The display itself would be context-sensitive, depending on what application(s) are running, the content they contain, and also on the user's preferences settings.
However, there are a number of critical problems with this that would need to be overcome:
1. The current cost and quality of touch screens. I haven't looked into either of these issues yet, but low cost, and a fast and accurate response to the touch would be necessary.
2. Placement of the display. Current systems with a touch screen that goes over the monitor would be uncomfortable for extended periods of use -- having to hold your arms up to tap on the screen would be a pain. While voice control would help alleviate some of these problems, physical control is still an important aspect. A desktop or slightly angled LCD panel with a touchscreen surface would be a better alternative display than a touch screen over the monitor.
3. Voice control accuracy. True, most voice dictation systems are pretty good, but there is room for improvement. Since the traditional keyboard and mouse are gone, editing text would be somewhat more difficult. Given that, a 100% accuracy rate is necessary. No tolerance for mistakes, ever. It could be tough to do.
I'm curious to hear some other views on this and why it would or wouldn't work...
The display itself would be context-sensitive, depending on what application(s) are running, the content they contain, and also on the user's preferences settings.
However, there are a number of critical problems with this that would need to be overcome:
1. The current cost and quality of touch screens. I haven't looked into either of these issues yet, but low cost, and a fast and accurate response to the touch would be necessary.
2. Placement of the display. Current systems with a touch screen that goes over the monitor would be uncomfortable for extended periods of use -- having to hold your arms up to tap on the screen would be a pain. While voice control would help alleviate some of these problems, physical control is still an important aspect. A desktop or slightly angled LCD panel with a touchscreen surface would be a better alternative display than a touch screen over the monitor.
3. Voice control accuracy. True, most voice dictation systems are pretty good, but there is room for improvement. Since the traditional keyboard and mouse are gone, editing text would be somewhat more difficult. Given that, a 100% accuracy rate is necessary. No tolerance for mistakes, ever. It could be tough to do.
I'm curious to hear some other views on this and why it would or wouldn't work...
