Miramar: a 3D workplace

Miramar is an exploration of the value of 3D graphics to the organization and dissemination of knowledge. It provides a small virtual world in which its user can keep her documents (papers, spreadsheets, presentations, web pages, notes, etc.) and organize them. An animated transition between the 2D desktop and the 3D workspace ties the two together. Documents in the workspace can be organized in several ways, including absolute and relative placement, connection with explicit links, and placement in collections. The user can move around in the environment with simple mouse and keyboards operations, without the difficulties encountered in previous 3D environments. Document placement and organization is performed with highly intuitive "3D drag and drop". Four rounds of testing with typical "knowledge workers" are described. Testing demonstrated that both the idea of Miramar and its embodiment were desirable and effective. The authors speculate on the underlying value provided by Miramar.