Designing at 1:1 Scale on Wall-Sized Displays Using Existing UI Design Tools

TL;DR

This study evaluates the usability of existing desktop UI design tools for creating interfaces at 1:1 scale on wall-sized displays, highlighting interaction preferences and proposing design guidelines.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into designing at scale on wall displays and introduces twelve guidelines for specialized design tools in this context.

Findings

Tablet interaction is most comfortable for large-scale design.

A mix of interaction modalities shows promise.

Design tools need enhancements for wall-sized display support.

Abstract

Wall-Sized Displays have spatial characteristics that are difficult to address during user interface design. The design at scale 1:1 could be part of the solution. In this paper, we present the results of two user studies and one technology review, exploring the usability of popular, desktop-optimized prototyping tools, for designing at scale on Wall-Sized Displays. We considered two wall-sized display setups, and three different interaction methods: touch, a keyboard equipped with a touchpad, and a tablet. We observed that designing at scale 1:1 was appreciated. Tablet-based interaction proved to be the most comfortable interaction method, and a mix of interaction modalities is promising. In addition, care must be given to the surrounding environment, such as furniture. We propose twelve design guidelines for a design tool dedicated to this specific context. Overall, existing user interface design tools do not yet fully support design on and for wall-sized displays and require further considerations in terms of placement of user interface elements and the provision of additional features.