Toolglass and magic lenses: The see-through interface

Abstract

In current interfaces, users select objects, apply operations, and change viewing parameters in distinct steps that require switching attention among several screen areas. Our See-Through Interface™ system addresses this problem by locating tools on a transparent sheet that can be moved over applications with one hand using a trackball, while the other hand controls a mouse cursor. The user clicks through a tool onto application objects, simultaneously selecting an operation and an operand. Tools may include graphical filters, called Magic Lens™ filters, that display a customized view of application objects. Compared to traditional interactors, these tools save steps, require no permanent screen space, reduce temporal modes, and apply to multiple applications. In addition, magic lens filters provide rich context-dependent feedback and the ability to view details and context simultaneously. These tools and filters can be combined by overlapping to form operation and viewing macros.