Bret Victor, A Brief Rant on The Future of Interaction Design
I think this article makes a great case for the tactile nature of our bodies and how that interacts with the design trends of tech.
Generally, humans used to design things to fit our bodies, and now our bodies adapt to designs. For instance, the computer mouse recalls a stone that could fit in the palm of our hand, like a prehistoric tool. I'll compare that interaction to it an iPhone, which doesn't fit ergonomically in our hands and negatively affects our posture.
As designers, artists and engineers, we interact with technology constantly. How have you been impacted by the physical shape of technology? How have you compensated for it?
Bill Buxton, The Anatomy of Sketching
The author uses Tacola's sketches as an example of sketching as an "aid to thought". Do you have any specific aids to thought you utilize? Last week we discussed doodling as a way to process information.
The author also emphasizes the humility of a sketch- vulnerable by nature and inviting change and criticism, which I thought was a really interesting notion.
This reading also gave us visual language we could apply to our critiques when he describes sketching.
William Gaver, Technology Affordances
Actual or perceived affordances can indicate how users can interact with a object. Affordances can be in physical form, visual, auditory. A perceived affordance is likely to be mimicking an actual affordance- like the shadow of a digital button to show depth, or a click sound.
Design of an object should be somewhat intuitive-- to encounter an object should begin to indicate how to interact with it.
Lecture 3: Use & Practice
An interesting aspect of this lecture, which could be discussed endlessly, are the people from outside design theory who influence design. The lecturer first cites Heidegger, who was even an influence on himself, for his thoughts on the way humans interact with the world and the tools we use to navigate it.
What influences outside of design have had an impact on your design theory? A notable figure? A film? A passage from a book?
Sarah Hendren, What Can A Body Do
This talk similarly addresses how the body meets the world and how to design for that. It mentions the shift between designing for industry vs. academia, and how the demands and expectations vary between the two, and how that facilitates innovation or stifles it. Beautiful ideas and design exist outside of market.
What was one of your favorite projects? Was it a school assignment? From work? Or a independently led project?