[IxDA Discuss] "Interface-Free" Interface

Mon Oct 30 11:16:07 PST 2006

Are you saying that we should do the interface more complicated so the final user moves more and
so he or she doesn't get fat?

:-D 

--- Sebi Tauciuc <stauciuc at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, what is our mission as Designers if not to help make the world better
> and improve the well-being of humans and to sometimes dare to consider
> everything involved in reaching these goals?
> 
> Just another dreamer...
> 
> Sebi
> 
> On 10/30/06, Miguel Gonzalez <maglez at btinternet.com> wrote:
> >
> > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> > material.]
> >
> > Oh come on! you guys lost the point.
> >
> > As Interaction Designers, we have a mission and that is not to worry about
> > people's weight,
> > actually, if someone gets fat, then his or her problem is more related to
> > a health diet, not on
> > usability, design...
> >
> > I took Chrsitine's post more as a funny thing than serious. We humans make
> > comparisons to help us
> > on explaining new concepts to people by using a concept that they already
> > know, but that
> > comparison has to be close to the new concept and so do not mislead them,
> > the shovel example is
> > just a bad comparison.
> >
> > You guys can't be serious about this.
> >
> > Maglez.
> >
> >
> >
> > --- "Gomez, Marla A" <marla.a.gomez at intel.com> wrote:
> >
> > > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> > material.]
> > >
> > > Hooray - you touched on a subject close to my heart...people move way
> > too little nowadays and
> > > some of us find joy in the physical as well as some people's
> > intelligence lies more in the
> > > physical realm...however, in today's company, the focus is on efficiency
> > to cut costs so
> > > anything physical would still have to be efficient timewise...you bring
> > up some very interesting
> > > points for discussion.
> > >
> > > Marla Gómez
> > > User Experience Researcher
> > > Intel
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com
> > > [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of
> > Christine Boese
> > > Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 8:15 AM
> > > To: discuss at ixda.org
> > > Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] "Interface-Free" Interface
> > >
> > > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> > material.]
> > >
> > > Hey y'all,
> > >
> > > What an interesting discussion thread! I have nothing of substance to
> > add to
> > > the excellent points raised, esp. by Alan's memory of the document in
> > his
> > > file cabinet (terrific RAM call-up there!).
> > >
> > > But while reading one point below, I was struck by a silly idea, and I
> > > wondered to myself how it would play out in a discussion among interface
> > > designers.
> > >
> > > The item that set my mind spinng were several of the Fatigue Sources
> > Alan
> > > remembered, below:
> > >
> > > Fatigue sources included:
> > > - necesity for operators to hold their arms up
> > > - requirement to reach and retract arm on each completed interaction
> > > - positioning of the screen for touch required operators to change
> > > their head/body positions
> > >
> > > I got to thinking to myself about... oh, the obesity epidemic we hear
> > about
> > > all the time.
> > >
> > > I got to thinking about the interface design of a shovel. You know, say
> > for
> > > digging a ditch to put down your Directv satellite cable to the place in
> > the
> > > yard where the dish has to be? Just a little ditch. This isn't like
> > tilling
> > > a garden by hand or anything.
> > >
> > > So I'm guessing there will be some fatigue sources for the interface
> > design
> > > of the shovel. Some of those things are minimized, because it is a lever
> > (as
> > > is a broom), and we know that with a lever big enough, we can lift the
> > > world. But your basic shovel functions as a lever because one hand
> > chokes up
> > > on the handle, forming the fulcrum, while the other holds on closer to
> > the
> > > end.
> > >
> > > So besides the function of the lever, there are a couple of other
> > Fatigue
> > > Sources, like perhaps the need to bend at the waist, and the force
> > needed to
> > > dig the shovel into the ground, usually be stepping down hard on the top
> > of
> > > the blade. But the blade edge on the ground can form another lever as
> > well,
> > > to help turn hard-packed earth.
> > >
> > > Clearly these fatigue sources pose a problem for this interface. Should
> > we
> > > propose all shovels be eliminated because of poor interface design, in
> > favor
> > > of the far superior backhoe or rototiller?
> > >
> > > But those interfaces burn fossil fuels, while a shovel burns human
> > calories.
> > > There is that obesity epidemic, after all, and this is just a little
> > ditch,
> > > to bury that Directv cable.
> > >
> > > Some people may HAVE to dig ditches all day by hand, and if fossil fuels
> > run
> > > out one day, we all may have to do it at sometime, at the very least to
> > bury
> > > our own waste. There can be terrible ergonomic problems for the back and
> > > neck too, with a risk of repetitive stress injuries, bursitis, and so
> > on.
> > > Shovels all over the world will be spawning lawsuits, unless interface
> > > designers can address these issues.
> > >
> > > I know, I'm just being silly, but I wanted to step back and think about
> > > things in these terms for a second. Since when does a physical movement
> > > factor automatically count as a strike against an interface design
> > calculus,
> > > you know, physical movement=bad?
> > >
> > > Would ALL IDEAL interfaces ultimately move toward telepathic control and
> > > utterly inert human users, like Stephen Hawking's eye-controller
> > thingie?
> > > Should we really be designing interfaces so as to make the physical body
> > > obsolete?
> > >
> > > Yes, I know accessiblity issues mandate certain interface features so as
> > not
> > > to restrict differently abled people from using them. And that's part of
> > the
> > > reason we have both right- and left-handed scissors. I'm not arguing for
> > > discarding those standards. I like inclusiveness in design very much.
> > >
> > > But what PHILOSOPHIES, what unexamined assumptions sit behind the idea
> > > (perhaps going back to Taylorism, factory assembly line efficiency
> > studies)
> > > that minimizing physical movement is an ultimate good?
> > >
> > > And could we not say the politics of those deep structure interfaces are
> > > part of what helped create the obesity epidemic? (along with high
> > fructose
> > > corn syrup and MSG, of course).
> > >
> > > Indulge me one more second, and then I'll shut up. Consider an
> > alternative
> > > universe where inert bodies are not an unintended consequence of
> > interface
> > > design assumptions. All of these assumptions are socially-constructed
> > > anyway, so imagine a culture that values all movement, considers
> > kinetics,
> > > all kinetics, as a form of dance and joy, from working a shovel to
> > > snowboarding to chopping wood to making love. Bodies in motion.
> > >
> > > Such a culture would not be able to sit still long enough to learn to
> > love
> > > our inert body interfaces. Their feet would get twitchy. Their knees
> > would
> > > bounce up and down. Maybe they'd compulsively pick at their pimples or
> > twirl
> > > and chew on their hair. Maybe they'd start chain smoking, or get another
> > > oral fixation and fill their need for movement with food.
> > >
> > > Their asses might spread a bit, if they really HAD to be married to our
> > > inert body interfaces. Maybe they'd buy their children interfaces that
> > used
> > > their feet on something like a twister mat, so the kids wouldn't be
> > lured
> > > away by the attractive idea of creative and unstructured play in the
> > > physical interface called "outside."
> > >
> > > Think of it. Some of these people, forced into these inert positions for
> > > long periods of time, not conscious that their bodies were craving
> > movement,
> > > might just sort of automatically find themselves at porn sites, maybe
> > daily,
> > > maybe more often than daily, watching the kinds of movement that people
> > who
> > > still live in a world of movement get to do...
> > >
> > > I'm just speculating...
> > >
> > > Chris
> > >
> > > On 10/30/06, Alan Wexelblat <awexelblat at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> > > > material.]
> > > >
> > > > I can't find the references at this moment (they're on this ancient
> > > > paper medium somewhere in my home office filing cabinet) but back in
> > > > the late 80s the military went through a fad of touchscreen
> > > > interfaces.  They were found to be highly error-prone and fatiguing.
> > > >
> > > > Error sources include:
> > > > - size of the pointing device (fingertip vs cursor)
> > > > - selection with the finger obscures the thing you're trying to select
> > > > - uncertainty on feedback.  The combination of physical feedback (does
> > > > the screen flex in response to pressure?  If so how much and how does
> > > > the user correlate that feedback with visual changes?) proved
> > > > difficult for some users.
> > > > - dirt and oils from human hands tended to introduce errors and
> > > > obscure displays after extended use.
> > > >
> > > > Fatigue sources included:
> > > > - necesity for operators to hold their arms up
> > > > - requirement to reach and retract arm on each completed interaction
> > > > - positioning of the screen for touch required operators to change
> > > > their head/body positions
> > > > - operators tended to crane their necks sideways to try and confirm a
> > > > touch that was full or partially blocked by their fingertips.
> > > >
> > > > The tasks used were very similar to the original "Put That There"
> > > > gestural interface, which is why I got interested in the research (I
> > > > did my MS on gesture). The military operators used the touch screens
> > > > in 1, 2, 4 and 8 hour shifts that matched their normal work schedules.
> > > > Even a one-hour shift was perceived as fatiguing.  This leads me to
> > > > believe that touch interfaces are fine for casual interaction over
> > > > short periods, but not really suitable for extended work.
> > > >
> > > > On 10/29/06, Dan Saffer <dan at odannyboy.com> wrote:
> > > > > "Jeff Han demonstrates-for the first time publicly-his intuitive,
> > > > > "interface-free," touch-driven computer screen, which can be
> > > > > manipulated intuitively with the fingertips, and responds to varying
> > > > > levels of pressure."
> > > > >
> > > > > http://ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=j_han&flashEnabled=1
> > > > >
> > > > > Just because an interface is [arguably] easy to use, doesn't mean
> > > > > it's interface free. While I think this is a really need use of the
> > Z-
> > > > > axis and a gestural interface, I'm wondering about its limitations
> > > > > for daily use. Could I type on a touch-screen keypad all day, for
> > > > > instance? How would MS Office for instance (not to mention Adobe
> > > > > products) get translated into this mouse-less OS?
> > > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > > > To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> > > > List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/
> > > > List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/
> > > > (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/
> > > > Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/
> > > > Questions .................. lists at ixda.org
> > > > Home ....................... http://ixda.org/
> > > > Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > christine boese
> > > www.serendipit-e.com
> > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > > To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> > > List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/
> > > List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/
> > > (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/
> > > Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/
> > > Questions .................. lists at ixda.org
> > > Home ....................... http://ixda.org/
> > > Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org
> > > ________________________________________________________________
> > > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > > To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> > > List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/
> > > List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/
> > > (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/
> > > Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/
> > > Questions .................. lists at ixda.org
> > > Home ....................... http://ixda.org/
> > > Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org
> > >
> >
> > ________________________________________________________________
> > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
> > To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org
> > List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/
> > List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/
> > (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/
> > Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/
> > Questions .................. lists at ixda.org
> > Home ....................... http://ixda.org/
> > Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org
> >
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Sergiu Sebastian Tauciuc
> http://www.sergiutauciuc.ro/en/
> 