I have a little exercise I give in class to anyone who suggests the Minority Report UI is a good idea:
• Stand up.
• Extend your arms in front of you.
• Hold them there for as long as you typically spend with keyboard and mouse, occasionally moving them around a little and with a lot of wrist twisting. For me, that’s often two four- to six-hour stretches in a day.
Now choose:
[1] I would like to replace my current desktop UI with this, or
[2] I would like to schedule an appointment with someone who does rotator cuff surgery.
People are just not designed to stand there with arms fully or mostly extended for hours at a time.
The fact that people find this so appealing is really a symptom of a larger issue: the fundamental thing many people don’t understand is that “looks cool” does not translate into “actually a good idea for a UI.”
What are you saying? Hollywood doesn’t employ usability experts when putting together blockbuster movies? I’m shocked, I tell you. Shocked!
No, you’re missing the point–I have no issue with the movie. What bugs me is people who then think having such a thing is a good idea. You know, like the hype about “Microsoft Surface.”