Navigating Websites Using Your Webcam
April 30, 2008 – 4:42 amJust came across Hal Riney & Partners’ new website, which lets you navigate around by waving your arms in front of your screen (kind of like that computer interface on Minority Report). It uses your computer’s webcam to track your arm gestures. I thought it was fascinating, then got really tired of waving my arms around (hey, it’s early and I’m not a morning person). Then I learned I can trigger it while drinking from my coffee mug, so I just used that instead. Now that’s how web navigation ought to be. Sip to the left, sip to the right. Eat your heart out, Tom Cruise.
4 Responses to “Navigating Websites Using Your Webcam”
Taken in the context that this company is trying to prove how creative they can be, then I think the website is a good demonstration and would be considered a success.
However, I hope it doesn’t catch on because the usability is lousy.
1. You have to choose between Webcam or Mouse before you even get to their site.
2. The page loader means that I’m sat staring at a circle animation for what feels like a long time.
3. The swirling ink animation takes ages to run its course.
4. I have to guess where to place my cursor to find a menu option.
Overall, it takes a long time to browse the site for very little information and if I’d come straight from a search engine, I think I would have given up and gone elsewhere.
By Dominic Martin on Apr 30, 2008
It’d be neat if I could punch at the screen, and it marked email as spam for me. I’d be so ripped!
By Ben on Apr 30, 2008
I tried it out. Couldn’t get it to work.
By Matthew Oliphant on May 5, 2008
@Matthew: but did you try it with a MailChimp coffee mug in your hand? That worked for me. Maybe it only recognizes monkey faces.
By Ben on May 5, 2008