Understanding the difference between small and big values spanning over several orders of magnitude can be difficult. In this demo, we introduce a proof of concept named AR Data Ribbons, an augmented reality visualization scaled so that even smaller values are visible but requiring people to unroll the biggest values of a bar chart going beyond its frame. While the smallest values appear as classic bars on a 2D canvas, participants are invited to pick up a roll handle and to unroll ribbons representing the biggest values of the dataset. Ribbons are then unfolded in the space surrounding the participant until reaching the length corresponding to the data value. We hope our design could lead to a greater engagement, creative ribbon output patterns and better data understanding.

International audience

While data visualizations are typically abstract, there is a growing body of work around concrete visualizations, which use familiar objects to convey data. Concrete visualizations can complement abstract ones, especially in immersive analytics, but it is unclear how to design smoothly animated transitions between these two kinds of representations. We investigate a design space of abstract and concrete visualizations, where animated transitions are pathways through the design space. The design space is defined with four axes, each corresponding to a different transformation. We consider different ways to design animated transitions by staging and ordering the transformations along these axes. In a controlled experiment conducted in virtual reality with 16 participants, we compared four types of animated transitions and found quantitative and qualitative evidence of the superiority of a specific staging approach over the simultaneous application of all transformations. Our study pre-registration is available at https://osf.io/8mu73.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental health disorder which may include symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized behavior. In addition to experiencing a diverse symptomatology, individuals with schizophrenia suffer from significant stigmatization which can interfere with effective treatment of the disorder among other issues. As a primary source of stigmatization comes from healthcare professionals, we were motivated to explore new ways in which to educate healthcare students about the symptoms of schizophrenia. Despite its potential to immerse users in new experiences within a real environment, little research concerning the use of augmented reality (AR) to simulate schizophrenia exists. In this paper, we present Live-It, a tool designed using recommendations from prior work as well as inspiration from lived experiences to educate mental health students about schizophrenia. The simulation uses the video passthrough capabilities of the Meta Quest 3 headset to simulate delusions, auditory hallucinations and additional symptomatology. Using thematic analysis, we evaluated our simulation with nineteen students and eighteen experts in healthcare to understand its ability to engage users and reliably represent symptoms of the disorder, as well as to determine how best to improve upon the design before the tool is widely deployed in mental health curricula.Our findings suggest that participants better understood symptoms of schizophrenia after experiencing the simulation, highlighting the potential of Live-It to be used as an educational tool. We present our design, provide a detailed analysis of our findings, and underline next steps in the development of our tool.

Situated visualizations are a type of visualization where data is presented next to its physical referent (i.e., the physical object, space, or person it refers to), often using augmented-reality displays. While situated visualizations can be beneficial in various contexts and have received research attention, they are typically designed with the assumption that the physical referent is visible. However, in practice, a physical referent may be obscured by another object, such as a wall, or may be outside the user's visual field. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework and a design space to help researchers and user interface designers handle non-visible referents in situated visualizations. We first provide an overview of techniques proposed in the past for dealing with non-visible objects in the areas of 3D user interfaces, 3D visualization, and mixed reality. From this overview, we derive a design space that applies to situated visualizations and employ it to examine various trade-offs, challenges, and opportunities for future research in this area.

Explaining to novice users how to interact in immersive VR applications may be challenging. This is in particular due to the fact that the learners are isolated from the real world, and they are asked to manipulate hardware and software objects they are not used to. Consequently, the onboarding phase, which consists in teaching the user how to interact with the application is particularly crucial. In this paper, we aim at giving a better understanding of current VR onboarding methods, their benefits and challenges. We performed 21 VR tutorial ergonomic reviews and 15 interviews with VR experts with experience in VR onboarding. Building on the results, we propose a conceptual framework for VR onboarding and discuss important research directions to explore the design of future efficient onboarding solutions adapted to VR.

Virtual avatars are more and more often featured in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications. When embodying a virtual avatar, one may desire to change of appearance over the course of the embodiment. However, switching suddenly from one appearance to another can break the continuity of the user experience and potentially impact the sense of embodiment (SoE), especially when the new appearance is very different. In this paper, we explore how applying smooth visual transitions at the moment of the change can help to maintain the SoE and benefit the general user experience. To address this, we implemented an AR system allowing users to embody a regular-shaped avatar that can be transformed into a muscular one through a visual effect. The avatar's transformation can be triggered either by the user through physical action (“active” transition), or automatically launched by the system (“passive” transition). We conducted a user study to evaluate the effects of these two types of transformations on the SoE by comparing them to control conditions where there was no visual feedback of the transformation. Our results show that changing the appearance of one's avatar with an active transition (with visual feedback), compared to a passive transition, helps to maintain the user's sense of agency, a component of the SoE. They also partially suggest that the Proteus effects experienced during the embodiment were enhanced by these transitions. Therefore, we conclude that visual effects controlled by the user when changing their avatar's appearance can benefit their experience by preserving the SoE and intensifying the Proteus effects.

This work explores a new usage of Augmented Reality (AR) to extend perception and interaction within physical areas ahead of ourselves. To do so, we propose to detach ourselves from our physical position by creating a controllable “digital copy”; of our body that can be used to navigate in local space from a third-person perspective. With such a viewpoint, we aim to improve our mental representation of distant space and understanding of action possibilities (called affordances), without requiring us to physically enter this space. Our approach relies on AR to virtually integrate the user’s body in remote areas in the form of an avatar. We discuss concrete application scenarios and propose several techniques to manipulate avatars in the third person as a part of a larger conceptual framework. Finally, through a user study employing one of the proposed techniques (puppeteering), we evaluate the validity of using third-person embodiment to extend our perception of the real world to areas outside of our proximal zone. We found that this approach succeeded in enhancing the user’s accuracy and confidence when estimating their action capabilities at distant locations.

Virtual self-avatars have been increasingly used in Augmented Reality (AR) where one can see virtual content embedded into physical space. However, little is known about the perception of self-avatars in such a context. The possibility that their embodiment could be achieved in a similar way as in Virtual Reality opens the door to numerous applications in education, communication, entertainment, or the medical field. This article aims to review the literature covering the embodiment of virtual self-avatars in AR. Our goal is (i) to guide readers through the different options and challenges linked to the implementation of AR embodiment systems, (ii) to provide a better understanding of AR embodiment perception by classifying the existing knowledge, and (iii) to offer insight on future research topics and trends for AR and avatar research. To do so, we introduce a taxonomy of virtual embodiment experiences by defining a "body avatarization" continuum. The presented knowledge suggests that the sense of embodiment evolves in the same way in AR as in other settings, but this possibility has yet to be fully investigated. We suggest that, whilst it is yet to be well understood, the embodiment of avatars has a promising future in AR and conclude by discussing possible directions for research.

Text editing is important and at the core of most complex tasks, like writing an email or browsing the web. Efficient and sophisticated techniques exist on desktops and touch devices, but are still underexplored for Augmented Reality Head Mounted Display (AR-HMD). Performing text selection, a necessary step before text editing, in AR display commonly uses techniques such as hand-tracking, voice commands, eye/head-gaze, which are cumbersome and lack precision. In this paper, we explore the use of a smartphone as an input device to support text selection in AR-HMD because of its availability, familiarity, and social acceptability. We propose four eyes-free text selection techniques, all using a smartphone - continuous touch, discrete touch, spatial movement, and raycasting. We compare them in a user study where users have to select text at various granularity levels. Our results suggest that continuous touch, in which we used the smartphone as a trackpad, outperforms the other three techniques in terms of task completion time, accuracy, and user preference.

The control of an avatar’s facial expressions in virtual reality is mainly based on the automated recognition and transposition of the user’s facial expressions. These isomorphic techniques are limited to what users can convey with their own face and have recognition issues. To overcome these limitations, non-isomorphic techniques rely on interaction techniques using input devices to control the avatar’s facial expressions. Such techniques need to be designed to quickly and easily select and control an expression, and not disrupt a main task such as talking. We present the design of a set of new non-isomorphic interaction techniques for controlling an avatar facial expression in VR using a standard VR controller. These techniques have been evaluated through two controlled experiments to help designing an interaction technique combining the strengths of each approach. This technique was evaluated in a final ecological study showing it can be used in contexts such as social applications.

Board games allow us to share collective entertainment experiences. They entertain because of the interactions between players, physical manipulation of tokens and decision making. Unfortunately, most board games exclude people with visual impairments as they were not initially designed for players with special needs. Through a user-centered design process with an accessible game library and visually impaired players, we observed challenges and solutions in making existing board games accessible through handcrafted solutions (tactile stickers, braille labels, etc.). In a second step, we used Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR), to make existing board games inclusive by adding interactivity (GameARt). In a case study with an existing board game considered as not accessible (Jamaica), we designed an interactive SAR version with touch detection (JamaicAR). We evaluated this prototype in a user study with 5 groups of 3 players each, including sighted, low vision and blind players. All players, independent of visual status, were able to play the Augmented Reality game. Moreover, the game was rated positively by all players regarding attractiveness, play engrossment, enjoyment and social connectivity. Our work shows that Spatial Augmented Reality has the potential to make board games accessible to people with visual impairments when handcrafted adaptations fall short.

Our physiological activity reflects our inner workings. However, we are not always aware of it in full detail. Physiological devices allow us to monitor and create adaptive systems and support introspection. Given that these devices have access to sensitive data, it is vital that users have a clear understanding of the internal mechanisms (extrospection), yet the underlying processes are hard to understand and control, resulting in a loss of agency. In this work, we focus on bringing the agency back to the user, by using design guidelines based on principles of honest communication and driven by positive activities. To this end, we conceived a tangible, modular approach for the construction of physiological interfaces that can be used as a prototyping toolkit by designers and researchers, or as didactic tools by educators and pupils. We show the potential of such an approach with a set of examples, supporting introspection, dialog, music creation, and play.

Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) transforms real-world objects into interactive displays by projecting digital content using video projectors. SAR enables co-located collaboration immediately between multiple viewers without the need to wear any special glasses. Unfortunately, one major limitation of SAR is that visual content can only be projected onto its physical supports. As a result, displaying User Interfaces (UI) widgets such as menus and pop-up windows in SAR is very challenging. We are trying to address this limitation by extending SAR space in mid-air. In this paper, we propose Drone-SAR, which extends the physical space of SAR by projecting digital information dynamically on the tracked panels mounted on a drone. DroneSAR is a proof of concept of novel SAR User Interface (UI), which provides support for 2D widgets (i.e., label, menu, interactive tools, etc.) to enrich SAR interactive experience. We also describe the implementation details of our proposed approach.

Traditional computer systems based on the WIMP paradigm (Window, Icon, Menu, Pointer) have shown potential benefits at school (e.g. for web browsing). On the other hand, they are not well suited as soon as hands-on and collaborative activities are targeted. We present CARDS, a Mixed-Reality system that combines together physical and digital objects in a seamless workspace to foster active and collaborative learning. We describe the design process based on a participatory approach with researchers, teachers, and pupils. We then present and discuss the results of a user study that tends to show that CARDS has a good educational potential for the targeted activities.

Interactive tactile graphics have shown a true potential for people with visual impairments, for instance for acquiring spatial knowledge. Until today, however, they are not well adopted in real-life settings (e.g. special education schools). One obstacle consists in the creation of these media, which requires specific skills, such as the use of vector-graphic software for drawing and inserting interactive zones, which is challenging for stakeholders (social workers, teachers, families of people with visual impairments, etc.). We explored how a Spatial Augmented Reality approach can enhance the creation of interactive tactile graphics by sighted users. We developed the system using a participatory design method. A user study showed that the augmented reality device allowed stakeholders (N=28) to create interactive tactile graphics more efficiently than with a regular vector-drawing software (baseline), independently of their technical background.

Cerebral activity is an intangible physiological process that is difficult to apprehend, especially for children. To overcome this difficulty, Teegi was designed as a new type of educational support. This tangible interface enables children to discover the relationship between brain activity and the functions of the human body. We developed a multimethods research approach to estimate the pedagogical potential of Teegi used in a real-life educational context. Using this interdisciplinary methodology, we conducted a user study (N=29) that highlighted the strengths of this interface, both in terms of its usability and its impact on learning. Moreover, results revealed possible improvements to further increase pedagogical effectiveness. This type of interface, as well as the evaluation method that we propose, contribute to extending our knowledge concerning the pedagogical use of new interactive tools at school.

Mixed Reality systems combine physical and digital worlds, with great potential for the future of HCI. It is possible to design systems that support flexible degrees of virtuality by combining complementary technologies. In order for such systems to succeed, users must be able to create unified mental models out of heterogeneous representations. In this paper, we present two studies focusing on the users' accuracy on heterogeneous systems using Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) and immersive Virtual Reality (VR) displays, and combining viewpoints (egocentric and exocentric). The results show robust estimation capabilities across conditions and viewpoints.

Practical work in optics allows supporting the construction of knowledge, in particular when the concept to be learned remains diffuse. To overcome the limitations of the current experimental setups, we have designed a hybrid system that combines physical interaction and numerical simulation. This system relies on 3D-printed replicas of optical elements, which are augmented with pedagogical information. In this paper, we focus on the well-known Michelson interferometer experiment, widely studied in undergraduate programs of Science. A 3-months user study with 101 students and 6 teachers showed that, beyond the practical aspects offered by this system, such an approach enhances the technical and scientific learning compared to a standard Michelson interferometer experiment.

Digital technology has been completely integrated into our daily lives, yet the potential of technology to improve its users' life satisfaction is still largely untapped. Mindfulness, the act of paying a deliberate and non-judgmental attention to the present moment, has been shown to have a positive impact on a person's health and subjective well-being--commonly called "happiness". Based on an iterative process with meditation teachers and practitioners, we designed a new tool to support mindfulness practices. This tool takes the shape of an augmented sandbox, designed to inspire the user's self-motivation and curiosity. By shaping the sand, the user creates a living miniature world that is projected back onto the sand. The natural elements of the garden are connected to real-time physiological measurements, such as breathing, helping the user to stay focused on the body. Moreover, using a Virtual Reality headset, they can travel inside their garden for a dedicated meditation session. Preliminary results seem to indicate that the system is well suited for mindfulness and induces a calm and mindful state on the user. The meditation teachers envisioned the use of Inner Garden in their practice.

In this work, we have explored an approach based on the hybridisation of physical and digital content for mind-mapping activities at schools. Based on the literature in the fields of cognitive science and HCI, we have designed a mixed-reality (MR) interface called Reality-Map. We conducted a pilot study with 11 participants suggesting that learning and manipulating information about the brain and their cognitive functions could be improved by the use of such a MR interface compared to a traditional WIMP interface.

Most of our daily activities take place in the physical world, which inherently imposes physical constraints. In contrast, the digital world is very flexible, but usually isolated from its physical counterpart. To combine these two realms, many Mixed Reality (MR) techniques have been explored, at different levels in the continuum. In this work we present an integrated Mixed Reality ecosystem that allows users to incrementally transition from pure physical to pure virtual experiences in a unique reality. This system stands on a conceptual framework composed of 6 levels. This paper presents these levels as well as the related interaction techniques.

Virtual Reality allows rapid prototyping and simulation of physical artefacts, which would be difficult and expensive to perform otherwise. On the other hand, when the design process is complex and involves multiple stakeholders, decisions are taken in meetings hosted in the physical world. In the case of aerospace industrial designs, the process is accelerated by having asymmetric collaboration between the two locations: experts discuss the possibilities in a meeting room while a technician immersed in VR tests the selected alternatives. According to experts, the current approach is not without limitations, and in this work, we present prototypes designed to tackle them. The described artefacts were created to address the main issues: awareness of the remote location, remote interaction and manipulation, and navigation between locations. First feedback from experts regarding the prototypes is also presented. The resulting design considerations can be used in other asymmetric collaborative scenarios.

Measuring brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG) is mature enough to assess mental states. Combined with existing methods, such tool can be used to strengthen the understanding of user experience. We contribute a set of methods to estimate continuously the user's mental workload, attention and recognition of interaction errors during different interaction tasks. We validate these measures on a controlled virtual environment and show how they can be used to compare different interaction techniques or devices, by comparing here a keyboard and a touch-based interface. Thanks to such a framework, EEG becomes a promising method to improve the overall usability of complex computer systems.

We propose a toolkit for creating Tangible Out-of-Body Experiences: exposing the inner states of users using physiological signals such as heart rate or brain activity. Tobe can take the form of a tangible avatar displaying live physiological readings to reflect on ourselves and others. Such a toolkit could be used by researchers and designers to create a multitude of potential tangible applications, including (but not limited to) educational tools about Science Technologies Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and cognitive science, medical applications or entertainment and social experiences with one or several users or Tobes involved. Through a co-design approach, we investigated how everyday people picture their physiology and we validated the acceptability of Tobe in a scientific museum. We also give a practical example where two users relax together, with insights on how Tobe helped them to synchronize their signals and share a moment.

Spatial augmented reality and tangible interaction enrich the standard computer I/O space. Systems based on such modalities offer new user experiences and open up interesting perspectives in various fields. On the other hand, such systems tend to live outside the standard desktop paradigm and, as a consequence, they do not benefit from the richness and versatility of desktop environments. In this work, we propose to join together physical visualization and tangible interaction within a standard desktop environment. We introduce the concept of Tangible Viewport, an on-screen window that creates a dynamic link between augmented objects and computer screens, allowing a screen-based cursor to move onto the object in a seamless manner. We describe an implementation of this concept and explore the interaction space around it. A preliminary evaluation shows the metaphor is transparent to the users while providing the benefits of tangibility.

We present a prototype of an augmented sandbox where the sand is used to create a miniature living world, designed as an ambient display for contemplation and self-reflection. The landscape can be reshaped at any time. Once the sand is left still for a moment, the world starts evolving -- vegetation grows, water flows and creatures move around -- according to the user's internal state. We use a consumer-grade EEG and breathing sensors to reflect on frustration and meditative states of users, which they can monitor by looking at the sandbox.

This paper presents the instructional-design of an augmented learning environment named AIBLE-HELIOS® that is targeted at teaching astronomy to children. This environment takes benefit of Augmented Reality (AR) and tangible interaction to stimulate an active and learner-centered approach to scientific problem solving. This approach follows the pedagogical principles of the Inquiry-Based Sciences Education (IBSE). Technical specifications and the design of the application have been based on didactical principles. It is intended to children of 8 to 11 years old in formal education. HELIOS was tested in-situ, i.e., in real teaching conditions with pupils (grades 4-5) from two primary schools. This user study confirms the design assumptions that influence children's interaction with contents during sciences courses. The analyses of the children's interactions with the system as well as learning indicate that HELIOS supports children in their investigations. Moreover, it provides some new information on children's interactions possibilities that will be taken into account in future versions. All these parameters contribute to the understanding of the ways through which AR can be used in formal teaching curricula in K-12 schools.

Abstract Various interaction techniques have been developed for interactive 3D environments. This paper presents an up‐to‐date and comprehensive review of the state of the art of non‐immersive interaction techniques for Navigation , Selection & Manipulation , and System Control , including a basic introduction to the topic, the challenges and an examination of a number of popular approaches. We also introduce 3D Interaction Testbed (3DIT) to firstly allow a ‘ hands‐on ' understanding of 3D interaction principles, and secondly to create an open platform for defining evaluation methods, stimuli as well as representative tasks akin to those found in other disciplines of science. We hope that this survey can aid both researchers and developers of interactive 3D applications in having a clearer overview of the topic and in particular can be useful for practitioners and researchers that are new to the field of interactive 3D graphics.

Three input modalities for manipulation techniques in Mobile Augmented Reality have been compared. The first one employs only multi-touch input. The second modality uses the movements of the device. Finally, the third one is a hybrid approach based on a combination of the two previous modalities. A user evaluation (N=12) on a 6 DOF docking task suggests that combining multi-touch input and device movement offers the best results in terms of task completion time and efficiency. Nonetheless, using solely the device is more intuitive and performs worse only in large rotations. Given that mobile devices are increasingly supporting movement tracking, the presented results encourage the addition of device movement as an input modality.

We introduce Teegi, a Tangible ElectroEncephaloGraphy (EEG) Interface that enables novice users to get to know more about something as complex as brain signals, in an easy, engaging and informative way. To this end, we have designed a new system based on a unique combination of spatial augmented reality, tangible interaction and real-time neurotechnologies. With Teegi, a user can visualize and analyze his or her own brain activity in real-time, on a tangible character that can be easily manipulated, and with which it is possible to interact. An exploration study has shown that interacting with Teegi seems to be easy, motivating, reliable and informative. Overall, this suggests that Teegi is a promising and relevant training and mediation tool for the general public.

Computers offer a wealth of promises for real-time musical control. One of them is to enable musicians to change the structure of their instruments in the same time they are playing them, allowing them to adapt their tools to their wills and needs. Few interaction styles provide enough freedom to achieve this. Improvised interfaces are tangible interfaces made out of found objects and tailored by their users. We propose to take advantage of these improvised interfaces to turn the surrounding physical environment into a dynamic musical instrument with tremendous possibilities. Methods dealing with design issues are presented and an implementation of this novel approach is described.

The goal of this study is to explore new navigation methods in Virtual Reality (VR) and to understand the impact of motor activity on spatial cognition, and more precisely the question of the spatial learning transfer. We present a user study comparing two interfaces with different motor activities: the first one, a walking interface (a treadmill with rotation) gives the user a high level of sensorimotor activity (especially body-based and vestibular information). The second one, a brain computer interface (BCI), enables the user to navigate in a virtual environment (VE) without any motor activity, by using brain activity only. The task consisted in learning a path in a virtual city built from a 3D model of a real city with either one of these two interfaces (named treadmill condition and BCI condition), or in the real city directly (the real condition). Then, participants had to recall spatial knowledge, according to six different tasks assessing spatial memory and transfer. We also evaluated the ergonomics of these two interfaces and the presence felt by participants. Surprisingly, contrary to expectations, our results showed similar performances whatever the spatial restitution tasks or the interfaces used, very close to that of the real condition, which tends to indicate that motor activity is not essential to learn and transfer spatial knowledge. Even if BCI seems to be less natural to use than the treadmill, our study suggests that BCI is a promising interface for studying spatial cognition.

3D transformation widgets are commonly used in many 3D applications operated from mice and keyboards. These user interfaces allow independent control of translations, rotations, and scaling for manipulation of 3D objects. In this paper, we study how these widgets can be adapted to the tactile paradigm. We have explored an approach where users apply rotations by means of physically plausible gestures, and we have extended successful 2D tactile principles to the context of 3D interaction. These investigations led to the design of a new 3D transformation widget, tBox, that can been operated easily and efficiently from gestures on touch-screens.

The recent widespread of RGBD cameras such as Kinect® device from Microsoft® opens many new interaction metaphors available to the general public. In this poster we introduce a tabletop interaction metaphor using the depth map from the Kinect: each element on the table is included as a set of physical constraints in a virtual environment. We briefly discuss visualization methods and present a gaming genre adapted to this framework: action-construction games.

We propose a new system that efficiently combines direct multitouch interaction with co-located 3D stereoscopic visualization. In our approach, users benefit from well-known 2D metaphors and widgets displayed on a monoscopic touchscreen, while visualizing occlusion-free 3D objects floating above the surface at an optically correct distance. Technically, a horizontal semi-transparent mirror is used to reflect 3D images produced by a stereoscopic screen, while the user's hand as well as a multitouch screen located below this mirror remain visible. By registering the 3D virtual space and the physical space, we produce a rich and unified workspace where users benefit simultaneously from the advantages of both direct and indirect interaction, and from 2D and 3D visualizations. A pilot usability study shows that this combination of technology provides a good user experience.

This special section contains the best three full papers from the ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST) 2008, held in Bordeaux, France.

Mobile interfaces are evolving towards touch-based approaches. This allows users to interact with their thumb directly on the screen. Such kind of direct approaches may be fussy for 3D interaction tasks, in particular because of thumb occlusions. In this paper, we introduce a new 3D user interface for the control of a planned trackball, where the users sketch horizontal or vertical movements to observe an object. A user study revealed no significant difference for error rate between this new approach and a standard trackball control. Despite a better completion time with the direct control, the study showed that the subjects preferred using the planned version of the trackball because it limits disorientation.

We present a novel interaction technique called Immersive Navidget for navigation in immersive virtual environments (VE), see Figure 1. This technique, based on Navidget, allows fast and easy 3D camera positioning from simple controls. In this paper, we focus on the technical issues that are induced by the VR setups and we propose solutions to adapt Navidget to the immersive context. We show that this new approach has many advantages for navigation in immersive VEs.

Standard input devices for mobile phones are directional keys and discrete thumb-joysticks. These devices are dedicated to the discrete GUIs of the phones (eg. scroll lists and small icons arrays). Today, new mobile applications are arising and require adapted interfaces. In particular, the widespread of 3D applications will be favored if users can efficiently point on any part of thescreen. In this paper, we propose a new interaction technique called Jump and Refine for selection tasks on mobile phones. This technique is based on two levels of cursor displacement in order to reduce the number of keystrokes. The first level allows fast movements into an underlying grid. The second one can be used for accurate positioning into the selected area. We present a user study which shows that using a first coarse jump level decreases the selection completion times. The study also shows that the technique is widely accepted by the users. Finally, we discuss the optimal grid sizes.

3D interactive applications are now appearing on mobile devices such as phones and PDAs. Compared to classical desktop or immersive configurations, mobile devices induce several constraints that intrinsically limit the user performance in interactive tasks. Consequently, a special effort has to be made in order to adapt the classical 3D user interfaces to mobile settings. In this paper, we propose a new key-based technique that favors navigation in 3D environments. Compared to a classical "go to" approach, our technique called Z-Goto directly operates in the 3D space. This accelerates the user's displacements by reducing the number of required keystrokes. Moreover, the construction of the cognitive maps is improved, as Z-Goto favors depth perception. An experiment shows that Z-Goto obtains better completion times compared to a standard "go to" technique for a primed search task on mobile device. It also shows that the user satisfaction for this new technique is good.

Recent advances in mobile computing allow the users to deal with 3D interactive graphics on handheld computers. Although the computing resources and screen resolutions grow steadily, user interfaces for handheld computers do not change significantly. Consequently, we designed a new 3-DOF interface adapted to the characteristics of handheld computers. This interface tracks the movement of a target that the user holds behind the screen by analyzing the video stream of the handheld computer camera. The position of the target is directly inferred from the color-codes that are printed on it using an efficient algorithm. The users can easily interact in real-time in a mobile setting. The visualization of the data is good as the target does not occlude the screen and the interaction techniques are not dependent on the orientation of the handheld computer. We used the interface in several test applications for the visualization of large images such as maps, the manipulation of 3D models, and the navigation in 3D scenes. This new interface favors the development of 2D and 3D interactive applications on handheld computers.

We present the CAT (Control Action Table), a 6 degrees of freedom freestanding input device designed for interaction with Virtual Environments displayed on huge screens. Both isotonic and isometric sensing modes allow the user to easily and efficiently perform 3D interaction techniques. A 2D tablet fixed on the tabletop allows them to perform accurate 2D interaction techniques.

We present the first usable prototype of the CAT (Control Action Table). The CAT is a 6 degree of freedom freestanding device, mixing isotonic and isometric sensing modes. It allows a group of users to interact with virtual environments by means of 3D and 2D interaction techniques. The innovating design of the CAT unifies the principle advantages of existing input devices while rejecting their main limitations. We present the resulting characteristics and compare the CAT to existing input devices. A 3D docking task experiment and a demo application have shown that the CAT can be used more efficiently than an 3D isometric desktop device and that the users preferred the CAT. The CAT is contributing to the development of real VR applications.