The current user interface of ADL has a significant number of limitations and weaknesses that became apparent in our recent beta-testing phase (see below). The Project is now making a significant effort to redesign and implement a completely new user interface that is capable of representing the various functionalities and representational metaphors that we believe to be important in the long run. The Project has, therefore, recently organized a new Interface Design and Implementation subteam and has hired Dr. Robert Nideffer to lead the design and implementation effort.
Dr. Nideffer has organized a small working group to focus on design and production, which are modeled after the facilities of the Art Studio Department at UCSB. Electronic mock-ups of a new interface design have already been constructed and are being evaluated by various project members. Dr. Nideffer's team will continually produce design iterations as well as and begin laying out the HTML, JAVA, and VRML infrastructure. The team is working towards the delivery of a "prototype" by May 2nd (the date of our next external review) showing the basic functionality of the system and the direction in which the interface is evolving. The construction of a full user interface system to be integrated into the next generation testbed, based on distributed object technology, will commence at about the time of the external review.