Clickless Computer Interface
Ever wondered what if a computer was designed with an interface that never required using a button for clicking? Is it more intuitive or has clicking been ingrained in our psyche?
Dont Click It is a very cool and interesting experimental site by the Institute of Interactive Research that focuses on this hypothetical situation. You can navigate the entire site without any mouse clicks!
There are many cool features that they amazingly stuff into 220K of fast loading flash data. I liked the 3 explorations of activating the button clicklessly (is that even a word?) and the mouse cover product with spikes.
Also interestingly, statistics wise, they run a continuous poll where the number of people that could operate without a button to those that could not are almost double! Personally I had no problems operating without a button, but I must admit I did get some accidental clicks in there.
However I do wonder about wider applications other than the internet. For one it seems the site or interface needs to be designed to take advantage of it and specifically for the mouse-over to do the work. I’m not a computer engineer, but it seems such applications could get graphic intensive and may result in a whole lot of interface re-designs.
Potential wise it seems to me it’s got some application in for stylus based interfaces or very focused products where there is no need for installation of additional applications. At the end of the day do play around with the site and explore what could have been. I think its opens great possibilities in interface design especially for people with disabilities, elderly with arthritis or lowered hand eye coordination or simply while eating French Fries with your dominant hand!
Oyun
October 2, 2008 at 7:09 amgreat article thanks
Oyunlar
June 12, 2007 at 7:25 amEventhough its totally doable, it will take more than ten years to reach the general consumer.
Design Translator
March 20, 2007 at 6:36 amI think so. Head mounted, even eye tracking devices have a lot of power.
Its a nice use of the power of technology today cos I dont think computers would have the processing power required a few years ago. Finally an idea to make life better rather than a “heavier” better looking operating system…
csven
March 20, 2007 at 2:32 amactivating the button clicklessly (is that even a word?)
Maybe “button” is the wrong word. From my perspective, it becomes a “sensor”. So you would “trigger the sensor”. Nice site with interesting examples. For headmounted brain interface devices like the one recently announced, this sort of thing looks to be a better solution than what we currently use.