Final implementation
In the previous chapter, I compiled the concepts that were developed in the course of this project, alongside the feedback that I received from the user tests.
Taking the user feedback into account, I refined the strongest of the aforementioned concepts and integrated them into a single application. This application is an eye closure-enhanced version of Mac OS X.
As the system holds a variety of eye closure-based commands and modes, the user must be informed about their availability and their effects. For this reason, I created a set of simple icons; these can be included in the menu of the respective application, next to the commands they execute - where also keyboard shortcuts are normally found.
Three principles
To maintain the consistency of the eye actions and the commands/modes that they activate, three principles are being sustained throughout the system:
1. Closing one eye activates a filter
One of the most popular concepts in the user tests was the possibility to fade out irrelevant items on the screen by closing one eye, as was the feature of 'zooming out' on a website. This allowed users to quickly navigate within longer pages and use the familiar mouse movements, augmented by the simple eye command.
Without major changes, I integrated these concepts into the aforesaid version of Mac OS, but under the generalized rule that 'closing one eye always shows less' - a guideline that could easily be expanded to other applications.
2. Squinting the eyes shows more detail
The users were able to zoom into an image by squinting the eyes in the first iteration; yet most annotated that, once the eyes were squinted, vision blurred. Also, keeping the eyes squinted for longer was perceived as an uncomfortable action.
Therefore, while the general idea of 'showing more detail upon eye closure' was kept up, the final concept is a transient preview. Similar to 'squinting inside', the contents of a file (or a hyperlink) can be gradually faded in - before clicking, by placing the mouse cursor at the file icon and squinting the eyes slightly.
Interestingly, doing so looks like trying to remember what was in that file - with the same result: a blurred visual memory, gradually faded in upon squinting the eyes.
3. Closing both eyes activates an 'anti-visual' mode
Blackening the screen upon eye closure was a well-adopted feature among the test users, and so it was built in as the standard action for closing the eyes. In iTunes, closing the eyes causes the sound to switch from "Stereo" to "Virtual Surround". This is based upon the expectation that, while engaged in normal working activities, one would be distracted by surround sound, but might enjoy some music at a low volume level. When taking a break, the sound experience can, however, be maximized: By turning up the volume and switching to virtual surround sound, for an even richer experience.
While the aforementioned features have only advantages for relaxation, another eyes closed-functionality has been integrated, allowing the eager user to be productive, even while he has his eyes closed. Similar to the earlier prototype, the current text in a text processor is read out loud by the computer as soon as the writer closes his eyes, allowing him to actively rehear the text he just wrote, recited by a 'independent reader'.
This third principle predicates that whenever the user closes his eyes, an 'anti-visual' mode will be activated, in which eye closure is recompensed as much as possible.
Now, after the practical part of my thesis, I will discuss its findings with regard to the initial hypothesis and sub-hypotheses.
