This lecture is based on information from the web, specifically at www.activeworlds.com. It is also based on the famous book by Foley, Van Dam, Feiner & Hughes: Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice. This book is hereafter referred to as FVD.

In FVD Chapter 9, the following principles are set forth. We will use them to critique Alpha Worlds's client software.

1. Be Consistent
2. Provide Feedback
3. Minimize Error Possibilities
4. Provide Error Recovery
5. Accomodate Multiple Skill Levels
    - help facilities
    - extensibility
    - hiding complexity
    - modeless operation
6. Minimize Memorization
7. Psychological Design Principles
    - orthogonality
    - visual clarity
    - redundency of encoding (e. g. shape, color, text)
    - grouping
    - less is more

You should be able to answer these questions after the lecture/demo on 23 March 99. If you can't, you had better get together with a friend who DID attend the lecture, go explore Alpha World and answer the questions.

Query 20.1: What are the classes of privileges for users with respect to Active Worlds?

Query 20.2: Who has the right to choose any avatar they want, from within the avatars offered with a world? Who has the right to define a new avatar or geometric object for use within a world?

Query 20.3: How does ownership of ground space affect ownership of structures in Active Worlds?

Query 20.4: How do you build a house (e. g. one made of glass), in Active Worlds?
 

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