title: Programming a user interface for a small device
body: <p>I'm looking for ideas/elements of a user interface for a device I'm making.  <a href="http://mypic32.com/web/guest/contestantsprofiles?profileID=50331" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Full description (and video of development setup) here.</a></p>
  
  <p>In short:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>It's essentially a direction finder, so I'm starting off thinking, "Compass" but wondering what other design patterns would fit</li>
  <li>There isn't much interface to a compass - what kinds of input, other than physically turning the device, should I consider?</li>
  <li>I don't like deep menus.  These are targetted at kids, so what gaming patterns and interfaces should I consider for options?  I'm assuming that children aren't invested heavily in computer patterns, but don't know what patterns they are invested in.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>This device is limited memory - so the interface has to be dynamically drawn each refresh, there is no video buffer.  In some versions I'll have color (160x128 and 320x240) and others I'll have 15 level grayscale (100x160).  I'd like the interface to be general enough, and vector-ish enough that one can use any of the devices as easily as the others.</p>
  
  <p>What ideas do you have?</p>
  
  <p>Where should I look for such interface and design patterns?</p>
  
  <p>Where should I look for low level graphics programming (generating vector graphics on the fly, I expect, but perhaps I'm wrong to think of it this way)?</p>
  
  <p>-Adam</p>