PanoTools NG:
Re: Interface experiment
erik leeman 2009-Jan-13 13:36:49
Hi all,
Thank you again for having a look and your responses.
Those small spheres have been downloaded about 200 times each now, so
except for two error reports things seem to work just fine from a
technical standpoint.
One of the reasons I wanted this test is that the mechanism I used for
'inserting' those spheres is not an 'official' feature of Pano2VR, nor
is it documented on the Pano2VR site.
After mentioning it on the Pano2VR forum, others have enthusiastically
started using it, but I thought it wise to thoroughly check if it
works for all platforms and browsers.
That part seems to be sorted then : )
As for my plans for using the spinning spheres as an interface
element, that's something I have yet to decide.
I don't think it's difficult to see I was inspired by those cute
360Cities spheres on Google Earth, especially the concept of seeing
the outside of one before 'diving in' took my fancy.
This transition from outside to inside by inverting the projection
could be very useful to help inexperienced visitors 'grasp' what is
happening.
You see I don't believe in instructions that need to be read or
listened to, people won't ever pay any attention to them, or worse, be
irritated or offended.
Therefore I want to try to present cues, or clues, that work more on a
subconscious level, bits of information that are subtly 'packaged' and
picked up by viewers 'on the go'.
A viewer needs to be able to successfully predict what he/she is going
to see BEFORE the VR-image opens, and the time needed for loading a
panorama presents itself as an opportunity for helping them.
So I want a preloader that is attractive to look at, but that ALSO
introduces the 360x180 concept in a pleasant and 'digestible' way.
In it simplest form that could be a rotating sphere with a preview of
the panorama that is loading like you saw in my test.
People should be able to notice the resemblance between that full 360
degree preview and the partial view of the actual panorama after it
opens, so that they EXPECT to be able to see more!
Only then will they be motivated to find out HOW they can control that
view.
I don't know yet if it is possible to make such a preloader in
Pano2VR, or, if so, how to do it.
Using those little spheres as hotspot markers is also part of this
plan, because they will remind the viewer of the preview sphere,
hopefully making people expect that they have a related function.
Very vague all this, I admit, but in my view something worth working
on : )
Cheers!
Erik Leeman
(http://www.erikleeman.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/erik-nl/)
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