While studying Marketing and Design at the University of Denver as a Boettcher Scholar, Brooks developed a new theory of human perception called MindSphere that presaged current developments in digital media, virtual reality and knowledge navigation, and has applied this theory to advances in interactive television, interface design, information architecture, learning systems, and a ground-breaking patent in the Visual Navigation of Information Objects.
In 1981, Brooks founded WBC Communication Design to serve clients in Financial, Healthcare, Hotels, Manufacturing and other industries. Brooks formed MindSphere, a leading Bay Area interactive media developer, in 1993 to implement his vision and apply his principles to the service of clients, providing them with new ways to communicate, conduct business, entertain and learn interactively. MindSphere assisted numerous businesses in the deployment of commerce, entertainment, and knowledge-sharing solutions, including Hewlett-Packard (17-site web system for three divisions), TV Guide OnScreen (ITV Electronic Program Guide), Microsoft (Broadband ITV Navigator for kids), Macromedia (Package and collateral design, interactive tradeshow demos), SGI/Time-Warner (ITV user testing applications), Oracle (ITV consulting, CD-ROM design and animation), VLSI Technology (web system redesign and standards), LSI Logic (web system redesign and standards), 3Com (web system redesign and standards, interface for 3Com Park Touchscreen Kiosks), MS2 (web application interface design, web system design, branding, collateral, promotions), Intuit (interactive product demos), and DIVA Systems (ITV network navigator, architecture, branding, promotions).
Brooks holds a U.S. Patent on the "Visual Navigation of Information Objects" and is currently developing frameworks for the next generation of knowledge navigation applications, user interface paradigms, media handling tools, systems and content applications to discern, track and model user intent and make interactive media more meaningful and relevant. His areas of development include "HoloLearning" an electronic curriculum standard combining realtime online interaction, 3D gamelike navigation and DVD/Streaming digital video; a VR knowledge finder for dynamic navigation of spatial information arrays; a 3D Music Universe Navigator for exploring dimensional relationships and affinities in MP3 libraries; a planet-based interface for geospatial data navigation; a navigator for historical and time-based information as an explorable landscape; and an engine for the delivery of dynamically edited and composited "MetaMedia" fashioned on-the-fly from multiple mediatypes and sources.
