Ethereal planes: a design framework for 2D information space in 3D mixed reality environments

Information spaces are virtual workspaces that help us manage information by mapping it to the physical environment. This widely influential concept has been interpreted in a variety of forms, often in conjunction with mixed reality. We present Ethereal Planes, a design framework that ties together many existing variations of 2D information spaces. Ethereal Planes is aimed at assisting the design of user interfaces for next-generation technologies such as head-worn displays. From an extensive literature review, we encapsulated the common attributes of existing novel designs in seven design dimensions. Mapping the reviewed designs to the framework dimensions reveals a set of common usage patterns. We discuss how the Ethereal Planes framework can be methodically applied to help inspire new designs. We provide a concrete example of the framework's utility during the design of the Personal Cockpit, a window management system for head-worn displays.