Interface Transformation from Ruling to Obedience
This addresses usability issues for computer users by enabling more intuitive control, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing multi-window concepts.
The paper tackles the problem of limited direct manipulation of screen objects in modern computing interfaces, proposing an algorithm that makes any screen object movable and resizable using only a mouse, which transforms normal PC screens into touchscreen-like interfaces.
This article is about one feature which was partly introduced 30 years ago with the development of multi windows operating systems. It is about the movability of screen objects not according to some predetermined algorithm but by the direct user action. Many years ago it was introduced on a very limited basis and nothing was improved since then. Smartphones and tablets give direct access to screen elements but on a very limited set of commands (scroll and zoom). There is an easy to use algorithm which turns any screen object into movable / resizable. This algorithm uses only mouse to turn screens of normal PCs into touchscreens, but this simple change means a revolution in our work with computers.