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Design Narratives

This page lets you access a number of design narratives.  Each informally tells the story of a particular research and/or design question that has occupied me over the years.  Each not only tells the story, but provides some images, as well as pointers to material, such as articles and videos, that let you go deeper into the topic.      As I find the time I will add to this collection.    To access a particular narrative just click on the associated image.  As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Look Ma - 2 Hands! 
Bimanual Document Navigation
In this narrative we contrast how we navigate with traditional documents compared to electronic ones.  The question that we ask is "Is there anything that we could learn from the former that would enhance our experience in the latter?" 
Hydra:  Talking Heads
Here we look at how people situated at a remote  location can nevertheless occupy their own physical space when communication me, and how this enables us to preserve things like gaze awareness, head turning, focusing of attention, etc., using the same conventions as with same-place meetings.
Tape Drawing:  Drawing a Car Freehand at 1:1 Scale
Here we discuss how and understanding of an obscure but effective technique for making large scale drawings can lead to the development of a new computer-based approach for automotive designers.