I’ve talked about the future development of human-computer synthesis (Howard Rheingold’s Smart Mobs) and about the historical development and interactivity, or lack thereof, as presented by Lev Manovich in The Language of New Media, but one final piece to the human-computer interaction discussion is to address interfaces, specifically human computer interfaces (HCIs).
Manovich explores the intent of new media interfaces as seeking to reference and mimic existing cultural interfaces. His frequent example is the controls found on audio and video equipment being translated into touchscreen buttons on an mp3 player or smartphone. These controls were transferred to the virtual space because they are part of a culturally recognizeable interface what would require little to no education on behalf of the user. A frequent barrier to access is the learning curve of new technology, so the effort to mimic familiar commands and images as interactive icons within an digital interface minimizes the challenge to adapt to something new but also provides a sense of familiarity leading to reduced anxiety over change.
I have little experience with interface-free technology, old or new, so Manovich’s analysis of the mimicry of interfaces caught my interest. We’re so focussed on the media behind the interface, it’s hard to take note of the design of the icons. In a way, this proves that new media interfaces accomplish their intended goals as they seemlessly blend in with our lives in such a way that unless an interface stops functioning as expected, we rarely give it any thought at all; the interface is not recognized as a standalone new media object in its own right.
If we wanted to put the spotlight on interfaces, an overhaul of the intent behind the design would be required. The challenge would then be finding a balance of functionality and efficiency with familiarity. I’m not sure if there are more functional or efficient design possibilities out there, but since we have been so limited by the quest to match existing interfaces, perhaps we have not fully explored all design possibilities. On the other side of the scale, though, a degree of familiarity would still be necessary in order to appeal to the majority of users. The less recognizable an interface’s commands are, the more challenging and frustrating the adaptive experience will be which could lead to a barrier to access where one had not previously existed.
Manovich considers the potential for the body to be amalgamated as part of the interface, referring specifically to immersive sensory controls such as virtual reality technology that is placed on the body. It is then that the body ceases to be solely the command initiator of the interface but also becomes fused with the interface itself, a controller linked to commands within the virtual world. As the brain might tell a user’s hand to use the A,W,S, and D keys to control an avatar in a standard video game environment, in immersive virtual reality, the brain communicates directly with the interface when it sends signals to the user’s legs to direct them to move.
Virtual reality HCI is unique since it ceases mirroring the interfaces of old media but goes straight to mimicking the physical world. I will explore this idea further with Manovich’s discussion on photorealism, but with most new media, the goal is to mimic pre-existing conventions of representation such as photographs and film, rather than the natural space. However, with the continued development of virtual reality HCI, interface design is slowly progressing to the point that the physical world and how we naturally interact with it are becoming the new mimicry goal.
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