Audio annotations, text descriptions, and photographic images are scattered throughout the gorilla habitat. As the user explores, he or she can gather information related to the design decisions made when the habitat was created. Receiving this information while embedded within the virtual environment should allow students to create strong mental associations, and should give them a desire to learn more about the subject. Interactive Tasks Students will also participate interactively in the design process through the use of several interactive tasks. One task allows the user to position trees, rocks, and other design elements in order to see the effect of these changes on the habitat from both the animal's and visitor's point of view.
Students can also interactively change features of the terrain.
Finally, users can experiment with the placement and size of visitor viewing positions, in order to maximize the viewability of the animals while preserving some private spaces and ensuring that visitors do not see each other from different viewpoints. In a functionally complex application, it is imperative that great care be paid to the design of interaction techniques for usability. In our application, we are also concerned that the interaction techniques do not command so much of the user's attention that the goals of gathering information or understanding changes in design are lost. Users hold a physical tablet in their non-dominant hand. In the virtual world, the tablet is transparent, and shows a large map of the environment.