As I was trying to think of a suitable artefact to write this week's blog post on, I came across a demo video (http://tangible.media.mit.edu/project/inform) from MIT's incredible Media Lab that reignited my passion for interfaces: the constantly evolving media through which we interact with devices, objects, items and each other. I've had an interest in user-experience design and human computer interaction for a long time now. My reasons are varied but I think it comes down to how powerful interfaces are from point of view of information and society (and their intersection). I think this makes them a fascinating area of study from the perspective of an information studies researcher.
It's amazingly stimulating to craft experiences that dissolve the boundaries between a product and user (and really breaking down what it means for something to be intuitive). And shaping the nature of communication itself in the process, can be truly empowering.
It's amazing how the interface has transformed over the years. GUIs, the mouse and keyboard were revolutionary innovations at the dawn of the PC age, developed as a result of pioneering work at Xerox PARC and ultimately launched into mainstream use by the Apple Macintosh line (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KkENSYkMgs). Of course, this lead to the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) design pattern becoming a standard...its amazing how exposure to such interfaces from an early age caused the people of my generation to obtain an intuitive understanding of how these worked. Now it's taken for granted.
And its the same with the young people of today and the next significant stage in interface evolution: tactile or touch interfaces. These have been around for a while, manifesting as interactive displays in museums/learning institutions, other surfaces for niche industries and the initial introduction of PDAs; but now they are mainstream with the 'multi-touch' screen smartphones and tablets and their innovative (but now routine) tactile gestures (tap, swipe, drag, pinch) that we all know and use.
And what about the future. Voice recognition has advanced considerably in the last decade and has already been integrate into mobile (Google Now, Siri) and desktop computing enviroments (http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-pc/home-version/index.htm). And it is a combination of voice and physical gestures that will the prime interaction paradigm for the next wave of electronic and communication devices. These, of course, include Google Glasses and wearable computing technologies (like this gem - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWu9TFJjHaM)
Finally, interfaces, as a cultural artefact that captures our imaginations, can be just plain cool (as evidenced by this unforgettable scene - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8deYjcgVgm8). The future will dictate how they mature and morph and continue to affect the way we do/think about things.
It's amazingly stimulating to craft experiences that dissolve the boundaries between a product and user (and really breaking down what it means for something to be intuitive). And shaping the nature of communication itself in the process, can be truly empowering.
It's amazing how the interface has transformed over the years. GUIs, the mouse and keyboard were revolutionary innovations at the dawn of the PC age, developed as a result of pioneering work at Xerox PARC and ultimately launched into mainstream use by the Apple Macintosh line (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KkENSYkMgs). Of course, this lead to the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers) design pattern becoming a standard...its amazing how exposure to such interfaces from an early age caused the people of my generation to obtain an intuitive understanding of how these worked. Now it's taken for granted.
And its the same with the young people of today and the next significant stage in interface evolution: tactile or touch interfaces. These have been around for a while, manifesting as interactive displays in museums/learning institutions, other surfaces for niche industries and the initial introduction of PDAs; but now they are mainstream with the 'multi-touch' screen smartphones and tablets and their innovative (but now routine) tactile gestures (tap, swipe, drag, pinch) that we all know and use.
And what about the future. Voice recognition has advanced considerably in the last decade and has already been integrate into mobile (Google Now, Siri) and desktop computing enviroments (http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-pc/home-version/index.htm). And it is a combination of voice and physical gestures that will the prime interaction paradigm for the next wave of electronic and communication devices. These, of course, include Google Glasses and wearable computing technologies (like this gem - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWu9TFJjHaM)
Finally, interfaces, as a cultural artefact that captures our imaginations, can be just plain cool (as evidenced by this unforgettable scene - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8deYjcgVgm8). The future will dictate how they mature and morph and continue to affect the way we do/think about things.
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