My Mouse Path for March 1, 2010

I have decided to run IOGraph all day while I work. These are the results. I wanted to  take a few minutes to run down some of the notes, and some of the initial observations from this experiment.

Notes

First of all, I run the app, only on the days I am in the office, but all day, everyday while I’m there. It’s the first thing I start in the morning, and the last thing I stop before I pack up for the day. I never pause the recording, not even for lunch. I run two monitors at work, a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display running at 1920 x 1200 and a Wacom Cintiq 20-inch tablet monitor combination running at 1680 x 1050. I hardly use the Apple display, so I have chosen not to record my findings for that monitor. (I tried recording it the first day, but ended up with only 8-10 thin lines in the final image. I thought that might be a little boring compared to the vast array of spirals and circles of the other images.) Finally, I typically have the app running somewhere around 7.5 to 9 hours.

Observations

I know it’s still early (I have only collected 8 images so far), but I am already starting to see some trends. I am right handed, and seeing as I am using a pen tablet, you can see how I heavily favour the right side of the display. Looking through the current 8 images, you can also start to see my OS X Dock start to take shape along the bottom of the screen. The New and Delete layer buttons in the Layers panel in Photoshop (CS4) also seem to get lots of love, as does the Selection tool. It is also fun to see, although not nearly as apparent, the approximate placement of windows like my web browser and email client based on my heavy use of their scroll bars.

Just some thoughts. I plan to keep track for a while, so I will hopefully update this posting periodically. Let me know what you think…

Even Avatars, as cool as they are, look like dorks with 3D glasses on

After having recently seen the blockbuster blowout Avatar, and hearing numerous rumours that 3D Tv is coming, I have only one thing to say… This sucks. And for many more reasons than just the dorky glasses that come along with it. The reality is, our brains were not meant to process the third dimension like this!

Sure, the glasses leave a lot to be desired. So, I’ll design up a great pair of 3D glasses! Magnesium alloy frames so they are feather light. Wrap around lenses so your peripherals are un-obstructed. The softest nose pieces made of unicorn tears so they feel just right on your face. And lets face it, we have been designing and wearing spectacles for centuries so why not get a grade-A design like Dior on the job and they’ll even be stylish! But wait, they have to fit over existing glasses… And all this doesn’t change the fact that you still look like a dork wearing them in a movie theatre. Almost as dorky as the people wearing sunglasses indoors (or at night—a certain song comes to mind). Seriously, next time you’re watching an epic 3D film, take a quick look around the room. Try to hold back your laughter. You wouldn’t want to disturb the audience.

Now, to be honest, the glasses aren’t the worst part of the experience for me. I can deal with occasionally having to remove them for a minute or two so I can gain a little bit of comfort back in my nose. The real issue I have with 3D is that it wrinkles my brain!

When we watch a movie at home, or even in the archaic 2-dimensional theatres of last year, we accept the fact that everything is 2-dimensional. Or, rather our brains accept that fact. Our brains know better than to look deeper into the image. We know it only has 2 dimensions. As soon as that extra dimension is added our brains get excited. Suddenly there is a whole new rich world/z-axis for our eyes to explore. Depth! Characters up close and more personal than ever. The beautiful scenery a way off in the distance. But wait… Why the hell can’t I focus on that? Oh right, it was filmed blurry. This isn’t real 3D, it’s fake!

The way I see it, until 3D is created so I can focus on what I want to focus on, it will never fully take off. Don’t believe me? Imagine trying to watch the NFL in 3D. Instead of an infinite depth of field, where everything is equally in focus and you can watch a full play unfold before your eyes, you’re forced to focus on whoever the camera man thinks you should focus on. Good luck watching the replay where John Madden is drawing circles and arrows around blurry little characters on a blurry grassy field.

I believe if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. So lets wait for them to get 3D right.

So I thought it was time I started my own blog. Mostly to rant about things I either like, or absolutely hate! I wont be posting terribly often (writing isn’t exactly my strong suit, that’s why I took design in the first place). Regardless, I’m excited to spark up some discussion on my ideas. So check back soon, or better yet, subscribe and we’ll get this started!

A quick intro to myself… I’m a twenty-something-year-old graphic, user interface and experience designer from Toronto, Canada with a perplexing addiction to juice. Yes, juice (mango is my favourite).