Multimedia user interfaces

Work in advanced visual interfaces is facing a new challenge: the widespread use of multimedia in applications, as in the World Wide Web and CD-ROMs. In such applications, visual interfaces range from more "traditional" HTML-based Web browsers to more sophisticated visualization tools that include animation and virtual reality. In this panel we wilt be discussing aspects related to the future of multimedia interfaces, as illustrated, for example, by interfaces to the World Wide Web. Web interfaces are evolving rapidly, e.g., with the introduction of Java, which is becoming a new standard for programming over the lnternet thus allowing for dynamic Web pages. Other new standards are emerging, such as VRML which extends Web browsing to 3D. There are many basic questions and techniques that have been addressed in research projects but are not yet widely available. For example, multimedia visual interfaces are often used for displaying information but less often for providing visual support for data navigation of particular importance in Web browsing. In addition, current Web browsers give little customization flexibility to users both in filtering out unwanted information and in the specification of the spatial and temporal layout, thus greatly limiting authoring, which is a central multimedia feature. Complex multimedia presentations and interactions can be described by sophisticated data models so as to create different levels of abstraction that allow for easier portability across platforms. We will be discussing the new and emerging standards and how to integrate them effectively into visual interfaces.