User interface models for the cloud

Abstract

The current desktop metaphor is unsuitable for the coming age of cloud-based applications. The desktop was developed in an era that was focused on local resources, and consequently its gestures, semantics, and security model reflect heavy reliance on hierarchy and physical locations. This paper proposes a new user interface model that accounts for cloud applications, incorporating representations of people and new gestures for sharing and access, while minimizing the prominence of location. The model's key feature is a lightweight mechanism to group objects for resource organization, sharing, and access control, towards the goal of providing simple semantics for a wide range of tasks, while also achieving security through greater usability.