Matt Legend GemmellModesty is Lying

In my spare time, I sketch (and sometimes build) user interface concepts, to see if they actually work in real life. Most of them exist only as private tools for my own use, but I created one recently that I’d like to show you.

One annoying thing about desktop UIs that has also appeared on touchscreen devices is the “verb then object” style of interaction, or what I call “ink dipping”. You pick a tool from some globally-positioned area (like a toolbar or palette), then move to where you actually want to use that tool – like having to periodically re-dip your pen in an inkwell. It requires a lot of unnecessary hand-movement, and breaks the idea of “direct interaction” to a certain degree.

On a touchscreen, you often have a simplified interface, with very few options, commands or tools. I was thinking about how to improve interaction in canvas-based applications (drawing, painting, charts, diagrams, etc), and it occurred to me that you often have fewer commonly-used tools than you have fingers. So, I created a UI concept/prototype that I call Finger Tools (or perhaps Touch Tools, or the Tool Glove, or some other such thing).

Continue reading Finger Tools →