ZoneZoom in on Small Displays

Zoom on small displays with Microsoft’s new ZoneZoom. This software device displays into a nine zone grid that can be accessed with the number keys on a mobile device. ZoneZone for smartphones can zoom in 300% in a matter of seconds.

Eric Horvitz, the research manager for the Adaptive Systems and Interaction group in Microsoft Research wanted to make small devices accessible more useful. …There is a tremendous opportunity for leveraging expertise, interests on our team in 3D, animation, novel interaction to make relatively small displays “conceptually” much bigger, easier to use by doing things such as these…creating stereotypical animation sequences that temporarily move viewpoint back, away from objects so as to make the small display a view onto larger spaces, context — but that also gives resolution on details when needed.”

Daniel Robbins was one of the team members that took the challenge to create the solution for small displays. He developed an interaction technique he calls ZoneZoom, where a 3×3 grid is virtually laid over the screen. Each of the nine areas corresponds with the nine numbers on a keyboard and represent the enlargement of that area. That area can itself be divided into nine sublevels and can be magnified even further.

The software is still in the labs of Microsoft Research and will be a continuing project that might extent to 3D magnification software solutions.

Source: Microsoft Research