XY Controller
Enhancing controls with visuals
Overview
A software engineer once asked me: How do you make things look good? This sparked a series of conversations where we explored how to make simple interactive components look and feel more engaging.
The first of these was the XY controller. A 2D slider with a control handle that moves within a box. Our enhancements focussed on three elements. First making the passive state look inviting, second making the proximity of your hand trigger a reaction and finally providing feedback once you interact.
The result was an explosion of colour provided by particle effects and a fun XY controller that lends itself to a little musical performance.
Approach
Built with Unity based on the interaction engine components.
The controller uses a particle field which either flows away from the handle when passive or is attracted towards when active. The intensity of colour increases on the particles when control is being activated.
The final touch was to highlight the tip of the finger with the same colour as the particles to give a sense of connection between the two.