Making Things See

Measuring the Distance Between Two Joints

The atomic unit of interaction is the user-controlled parameter. All satisfying interactions begin with a technique that lets the user directly control some behavior of the system. The button that turns on your lamp. The knob that sets your stereo’s volume. The trackpad that positions the mouse pointer on screen. At their essence, most of these controls come down to a single number that is directly under the user’s control. That number is then used within the system to determine some aspect of its internal operation. The button determines whether or not current flows to the bulb. The knob sets the amount of gain applied by the amplifier. The trackpad sets the x- and y-coordinates of the mouse pointer. ...