With the exception of the finger/ stylus for touchscreen (where despite the lack of tactile feedback, the wheel should be a better alternative to controls like the scrubber in space constrained screens), I share Dave%u2019s thoughts on using the wheel as a control in software with pointing devices- it%u2019s highly inefficient.
Answering your question on whether there are wheels in software UI, one area I can think you will find wheels common, actually dials... is in the software audio domain. You%u2019ll find them used in the digital audio workstations (DAW%u2019s) and VST plugins (used to generate sounds or effects). Many VST%u2019s try and emulate traditional/ analog audio hardware effect units and synths and are also visually modeled to look like them. Hence, you find dials common in them. Here%u2019s are images of the ppd tritium and Muon Tau Pro bassline generators: http://www.kvraudio.com/i/m/60.jpg, http://rekkerd.org/img/articles/muon_tau_pro.png where pretty much the dials constitute most of the interface. As a user of audio software, here are my notes on dials as UI: 1) Some require users to turn the knob/ dial circularly for operation 2) Some require users to use the pointing device to make linear movements, and this corresponds to the dial being turned. 3) There is lack of consistency in this regard and the user finds this irritating. 4) Some software allow you to toggle between both methods, so you can choose the method you are comfortable with. On wheels as UI on the web, the last I saw them used were in Flash websites during 2001-2002 (when Flash was still in transition of getting over its evil/ 99% bad image) after the iPod came out. I remember there were tutorials that showed you how to make an iPod wheel in Flash and use it for selecting navigation links. They were a real puzzle for users to figure out. -Abhay Cone Trees- User Research & Design http://www.conetrees.com http://www.uxquotes.com http://www.theuxbookmark.com http://www.twitter.com/conetrees http://uxbookclub.org/doku.php?id=new_delhi http://www.slideshare.net/group/web-accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=46499 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
