[IxDA Discuss] What do you think of Microsoft Surface

[Chris Bernard]

A true story as related to me by someone that witnessed it. When the On Star system was first invented by General Motors they got a bunch of visionaries and press folks and threw them at a car and trucked them around a track at the GM proving grounds. Then some GM guy said something to effect of "Watch this" as he used the On Star system to have it automatically lock and unlock the car doors while they drove. Pretty stupid demonstration of what eventually came to be a compelling new technology that was in essence a new automotive platform for innovation derived of basic and boring things (cellular technology, GPS, automotive computing and HCI design for automotive).

Recently I've been somewhat surprised by how dismissive some of the active members of this board are about some of the many innovations that are presented for debate on this board. One could argue that the IxD discipline should and could play a much more active and useful role in demonstrating the utility and value of many of the new innovations that have been discussed.

But most of what I see here is an active discussion of why things can't be done or why they won't work and the repetitive discussion about what the best tools are for our job versus the practice of our craft. Those that seem to value a perspective of curiosity or iteration seem to have their thoughts summarily dismissed because a new product or innovation doesn't get everything right.

There are some positive and innovative opportunities that technologies like Microsoft Surface present to the IxD designer and issues like security and privacy are important and valuable but shouldn't discount some of the innovations that Microsoft Surface enable (I'd also argue these are solvable issues as well). Some of the innovations of Microsoft Surface go beyond just the end state of the actual hardware (for example Microsoft Surface applications are built using WPF, which means an ecosystem of tools and talent exist today that can make applications for the Surface platform).

The potential in living in a world with active surfaces opens up a world of new opportunity for how we craft experiences. Microsoft Surface isn't just a new Pac-Man console knock-off, it's a technology that has the potential for many applications. I'm a bit surprised that many don't see that here and presume that the smattering of scenarios that are demonstrated represent an end-state versus a starting point.

Chris Bernard
Microsoft
User Experience Evangelist
chris.bernard at microsoft.com
312.925.4095



Blog: www.designthinkingdigest.com
Design: www.microsoft.com/design
Tools: www.microsoft.com/expression

"The future is already here. It's just not evenly distributed." William Gibson


-----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.interactiondesigners.com] On Behalf Of Dirk Platzek
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 11:19 AM
To: discuss at lists.interactiondesigners.com
Subject: Re: [IxDA Discuss] What do you think of Microsoft Surface

Sure, you can spill you data out on the table for everyone around to
see, but what happens to the data when you leave? What happens to
data associated with one of those data tiles when you walk away with
it in your pocket?
Excellent point. Discredits the suggested scenarios quite a bit.
Typically Microsoft comes along with Surface -- *after* everybody
else had all the ideas...What bothered me the most wasn't so much
the implementation (in fact the real object/touch screen interaction
adds some magic), but that Microsoft has already partnered with all
kinds of cheesy chain hotels and casinos. Such poor and limited
imagination!


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