Robbie Tilton

Search This

A new way to visually search websites and their connections in 2 and a half dimensions.

http://vimeo.com/33261232

Classes
Introduction to Computational Media


I've often been disappointed by search engines and the way in which results are displayed within them (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc). Plain text doesn't allow users to explore the web and users often never click to see further results beyond the first query page. This makes humans more dependent on machine algorithms and less apt to uncover relevant, interesting, connected content. My projects displays HTML data in a textured 3D environment with 2 and a half dimensional navigation. URL's can be queried and thus display all the connections within it. Visually it's interesting to view the proportion of internal and external links within a site and where they can potentially lead you. I developed the program in Java/Processing and hope to put it online in the near future.

Background
I've already developed the application. It's been developed in Java/Processing and I would like to convert it into a website to further see if it could catch on. I would also love to add real-time chat feature in the future.

Audience
Tech savvy and visually inclined internet searchers.

User Scenario
The sketch is run on a screen. People are welcome to type in URL's and use the mouse to explore.

Implementation
Code. Just needs a screen and a computer.

Conclusion
I learned how to parse HTML data, display data as a 3D visual object, and allow for an interaction that is easy to use and potentially helpful for exploration.