Katie Dahmen
Rubine Discussion

           One complication with the use of gestures for commands is if the
application calls for a large number of commands.  It could be difficult to
come up with many distinct shapes that are still simple enough for the user
to remember and execute but are distinct enough that the computer can tell
them apart.  The use of the early recognition technique could also add
significant complexity if there were gestures that started in a similar
fashion but ended differently.  Sometimes, it might be easier to click on a
menu option or use a keyboard shortcut than to make a gesture, especially if
the gesture must be aimed at a specific place to affect a specific part of
the application; if the user must make the "delete" gesture in the place she
wishes to delete part of an image, it could be difficult for her to predict
just what will be deleted.

           It does seem more graceful and perhaps more fun to specify
commands by way of gesturing.  I now realize that the game Black & White
uses just such a gesture-based system for the player to create various
effects in the world, which is an effective application because a player of
a game expects to have to learn how to play and to practice in order to
become skilled.  In a situation like this where the onus is on the user to
get the gesture right, rather than allowing the user to blame the computer
for doing a lousy job at recognizing shaky attempts and to become
frustrated, I think it would be particularly worthwhile.