Evaluation of Natural User Interfaces in the Creative Industries

The case study presented in this paper is concerned with the applicability of natural user interfaces (NUI) in the context of previsualization (previs). For this purpose, we have developed a virtual reality (VR) based tool that includes NUIs as a novel way to perform previs-related tasks. For the application domains of animation, film, and theater, we conducted a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the prototype by realising projects that resembled real life productions in the creative industries. In collaboration with industry experts with different creative backgrounds, we conducted a large-scale evaluation and examined the potential of NUIs in a professional work context. Our results indicate that NUIs can offer a usable alternative to standard 3D design software, requiring only a short familiarization phase instead of extensive training to achieve the intended outcome.