Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: New Macs / Design in general

Author:Eric Soroos
Posted:1/6/1999; 10:09:19 PM
Topic:How Frontier Changed My Life
Msg #:1868 (In response to 1856)
Prev/Next:1867 / 1869

I think the feeling that the iMac looks wrong is a symptom of more that is wrong with the desktop/window/mouse user interface. It's hard to say definately what is wrong, but there is a feeling that the interface has gone as far as it can, and now it is exploring the little details that are different. Granted details are important, as I much prefer the mac details to windows details and others vice versa. In fact, I prefer the details of 7.6 to the current platinum look.

The question beomes: what is an appropriate interface for what the computer is doing? Is the computer doing all that it can?

I surmise from the latest flurry of activity on the palm front that you (Dave) just got one. The palm is the result of just this sort of questioning. They seem to have gotten it right, in that there is an information appliance that cuts out the excess and delivers the important functions through an appropriate interface.

Somewhere out there is an interface that will facilitate what users want to do with their computers. I have a feeling that we will come across it through great leaps distributed between long periods of slow evolution that look like stagnation.

So maybe an appropriate first question for interface requirements is what do the users want to do? (my answers) 1) get work done. (number crunching - model building -visualization) 2) get/recall information. (web - usenet - email) 3) connect with communities (web read/write/plumb -usenet - email)

Of these, the only two where I am 95¡appy with the interface are usenet news and email. The web is an interface nightmare; it is useful in spite of the interface. My real work is the most specialized of any of these; perhaps not surprisigly the interfaces are the least well developed.

eric

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