[sldev] Improving SL First Hour Experience through WYSIWIS

[Ron Blechner]

I think there's a more meta question here:

How successful have HUDs been with new user experience?

I have blogged before about the idea of a need for a "look-at" pie-menu option:
http://secondtense.blogspot.com/2009/03/basic-functions-second-life-needs.html

... and in general, I think there's room to improve camera function.
I've also previously in the past experimented with BijoCam, a
hud-based interface that interacts with invisible tripwires to trigger
3rd person remote camera setups. It's a bit bewildering at first,
because we're used to the over-the-shoulder control, not a third
person Alone-In-The-Dark (it's the earliest example I can think of)
control, but I also found the longer I was in it, the easier it
became. At the same time, that was not useful at all with learning
SL's default control. Thus, when discussing HUD-based teaching systems
for new-user experience, I'm concerned about users getting used to
having their camera controlled, and then suddenly when they're in the
rest of SL, it never happening --- essentially it teaches new skills
and sets new expectations that are not present in the rest of the
Second Life platform.

No, and this is why I lean with Frans' sentiment that the bigger issue
isn't HUDs, but with the SL client itself. I would love, for example,
to shove the camera  permissions - which need to be granted via pop-up
blue floater for EVERY script wanting to take control - into the
browser itself. It would require basically putting camera-control
permissions into avatar-level permissions. (i.e. Muting, see online,
etc) Some intuitive default settings would be:

- Camera control granted for avatar / objects of landowner of parcel
your avatar inhabits.
- Camera control granted for friends.
- Camera control granted for Linden accounts.
- Camera control disabled for all others.

Additionally, I think in order for this to be easily usable, it would
need to be non-scripted. There would need to be a floater that is
somewhere in the UI that integrates with the "Look at" ... where maybe
you click a button to "set a camera target" and then click on the
object, at which point in time it calculates the proper camera-eye
location and camera-target location and sets it to the floater's local
data. Then a "show avatar" button where you could then basically
create a hyperlink in chat where people would click on the link and it
would control their camera.

...


This is all, of course, a tall order. In the long run, I see many
benefits of it. I know people will say that what I'm suggesting is far
too much work, but what I'm essentially saying is that the system
won't be intuitive enough otherwise - including HUD-based solutions.

Regards,

Ron


-- 
Ron Blechner
Chief Technology Officer
Involve, Inc
www.involve3d.com
SL: Hiro Pendragon



On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 10:54 AM, Frans <mrfrans at gmail.com> wrote:
> I personally like the idea of being able to temporally have other people
> follow your camera, especially when I'm trying to explain something and
> there is confusion about what I'm talking. Similarly the other way around so
> I can see what they see.
> It would have to be really straight forward and obvious though if it is
> build in. I would want a 'instant replay' type icon on the screen so there
> is a constant reminder for people that they are not in control of their
> camera. The interface of gaining control back should be obvious too. I
> believe we have currently a 'release camera' button when your camera is
> under script control, but I'm not sure it is noticeable enough amongst the
> the other buttons.
> Early on when the script functions to follow the camera where first released
> I made some toys, prim cameras and arrows that follow you camera, in that
> way providing a visual mark to show people where you are looking without
> taking control of their cam. I think for most uses that might be sufficient,
> though.
> @Melinda, you are correct the camera will only be able to be moved in 3D
> space and wouldn't be able to show where the inventory button is. Unless you
> zoom in on a picture(on a prim) of the inventory button. But in that case
> you can just as well use a pointing arrow.
>
> On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 10:50 AM, Melinda Green <melinda at superliminal.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> Wow, that was a while ago!
>>
>> I've not seen or heard of this HUD and while it sounds like it has
>> merit, it also sounds somewhat invasive. I have a personal, almost
>> physical relationship with my camera and I doubt I would like that. I
>> expect that I would not like losing the ability to cam around, adjust my
>> view, and check out people's profiles, etc. I expect that being driven
>> by it would feel as if someone else was grabbing my head and moving it
>> around. I think that I would much prefer other sorts of pointing devices.
>>
>> Even if this mode is useful I doubt that it'd be popular enough to
>> permanently add to the viewer. HUDs are perfect for this sort of niche
>> functionality so I would much rather see effort made to figure out what
>> is causing those lag and choppiness issues you're reporting.
>>
>> I also don't see how this would help newbies to find their inventory,
>> etc. since this certainly would not let one person see the other
>> person's UI, right?
>>
>> -Melinda
>
>
> --
> Jeroen Frans
> Virtual World Technology Specialist.
> TheVesuviusGroup.com
> SL: Frans Charming
>
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