Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Both theatrical design and interface design are aimed at creating repre-
sentations of worlds that are like reality, only different. But a scene design
is not a whole play; for that we also need representations of character and
action. Likewise, the elements of interface design are only part of the whole
representation that we call human-computer interaction.
How should an interface come to be? In effective interaction design,
the interface does not come last; it develops throughout with the entire
design process. It is deeply entwined with functionality. It shows sensitiv-
ity to the interactor and sometimes even constrains functionality that can-
not or need not be touched effectively by the interactor. If we think of an
application as an organic whole, the process by which it is created should
be organic as well.
The previous section picks up some of the stronger threads in the evolution
of interface design, but these elements alone are not suffi cient in defi ning
the nature of human-computer interaction or in realizing it effectively. It
recommended theatre as an additional perspective, but it may not be pro-
ductive for theatre people simply to join all the other cooks in the kitchen.
I want to take the argument a step further and suggest that the concept of
the interface itself is a half-baked idea, and we might do better to throw it
out and begin afresh.
My frustration with the notion of the interface is as old as my involvement
with computers. Perhaps the best way to explain it is to take a short ex-
cursion through the history of my personal view. I became involved with
computers as a way to support myself while I was a graduate student in
theatre. I thought that my career was going to take me to the stage, either
as an actor or as a director. But a life in the theatre promised little in terms
of income, and when a friend of mine started a little company to create
computer software in 1976, I jumped at the chance to bolster my survival
potential with some technical skills.
I became a software designer and programmer, working primarily
on interactive fairy tales and educational programs for kids. The com-
pany was called CyberVision, and the machine was a lowly 1802 proces-
sor with a four-color, low-resolution display and an alphanumeric keypad.
