Recreating the Image Viewer UI from Blade Runner

http://rorygianni.me.uk/posts/recreating-the-image-viewer-ui-from-blade-runner

by digitalWestie • 13 years ago

23 8 13 years ago

rorygianni.me.uk

tawgx• 13 years ago

This is seriously cool! this really brought up some very fond memories of a movie I really really like. Thanks for posting.

Growing up I always like the UX they had for things in star-trek TNG. Back then in the nineties touch based interfaces were really something out of a sci-fi movies, and now 20 years later they're commonplace, which gets me to the point - is there anyone working on a starr trek like JS UX framework? That would be so cool!

jared314• 13 years ago

The most practical example for a LCARS-like UI is the Flat UI bootstrap templates.

Unfortunately, most attempts at making LCARS practical have failed because it was designed to look good on camera. Just try to use lcarscom.net[0] or lcars.org.uk[1]. Not to mention that CBS Studios Inc. holds the copyright, and enforces it[2].

[0] http://www.lcarscom.net/databank.htm

[1] http://www.lcars.org.uk/Adges%20Welcome.htm

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCARS#Legal

cstrat• 13 years ago

Great read, but can I say that I don't link the font you've got. The letter 'f' doesn't properly display and looks more like an upside down J.

Not sure if I am the only one...

digitalWestie2• 13 years ago

see what you mean, I'll keep it for headings or something

scheff• 13 years ago

I love how much the same scene has been re-use since Blade Runner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxq9yj2pVWk

egypturnash• 13 years ago

For your next challenge, try recreating the functionality from the version found in an episode of Red Dwarf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUFkb0d1kbU

gordjw• 13 years ago

I think the reason the movies make it look "very measured and deliberate" is that the operators are the best of the best. They're so good in fact, that they never make mistakes.

Of course, this ignores that the point of a movie is to distill actual events down to their essence to convey an emotion, which isn't really what "click[ing] about a lot until we get what we want" is about.

TL;DR: smoothness is a property of movies, not a failing of humans or our software. I like the BladeRunner interface though.

digitalWestie2• 13 years ago

Quite right, a film is never going to show someone getting it wrong. The post is more about thinking about ideals, and why they come across that way. But I'd like to come back to the point about trying and failing. Until recently, when you wanted to change a font in a word processor you never got any preview, you had to select it, if you didn't like it you had to undo, and then reselect again. This is the sort of thing I was getting at.

Recreating the Image Viewer UI from Blade Runner

Related Stories