Programmers’ Perspectives on the Use of Previsualization in the Design Process of Three.js Web Animation

Abstract

: Previsualization is a visual representation based on computer graphics and 3D animation. It has been a well-known tool in movie-making, used to present, explore, plan, and communicate creative ideas before final filming. The communication aspect of this video-based visualization is a less-explored area, especially in the design and development of programming-based animations. This research aims to understand Previsualization’s significance in envisioning script-based web animation. Mixed methodologies were used to gather programmers’ perspectives on Previsualization in the process of designing three.js web animation. The research used semi-structured interviews and Likert Scale based questionnaires as data collection tools. The interview data of twelve professional programmers provided their perspectives and thematic analysis provided key inferences. The Likert scale questionnaire obtained programmers’ perceptions on the functions of Previsualization and the usability in the context of three.js animation. The study also used quantification to check the central tendency and the collective attitude of programmers towards Previsualization. According to the programmers, Previsualization holds functions of a good visualization and is the best way to prototype animation ideas. It can present a substantial amount of information related to three.js web animation, and it is an effective tool for designers to communicate animation ideas to the programmer. The programmers have high-level acceptance and a positive attitude towards it. They perceived it as more effective than conventional visual representations, such as drawings to present most visual features and prototype script-based three.js animations.