To leave the empty visionary talk, some brief explanation of problem should follow. Also this is very important to get reader involved into the whole idea. The topic will be explained on few examples as well.
For human or any other entity, it is very natural to exist in certain surroundings. The biggest element of the surroundings is our planet – the framework for our existence. It contains smaller divisions – elements existing in the same places we do. This is connected closed system we’re part of. It is very natural to perform actions in it, it is very natural to interact with it, and it is very natural to customize it. The whole system is being processed via 5 senses to our minds – to our abstract processing unit, where the information is bended, explained, understood, categorized and stored. No need to mention that we can feel some kind of atmosphere, or a mood if you wish, of the place. The information stored by this process is transferred to genes over the years so for the newer generation this particular experience may feel absolute. The whole system was designed and created at once, and has evolved as needed and has been changed many times in order to solve its mistakes. Why to mention this? Speaking about billions of years of evolution is important to get the abstract idea of environment and to understand these needs in GUI.
We have learnt to create physical elements depending on our environmental knowledge. Based on the stored data in us, we tend to make the physical designs and our artificial surroundings to feel as natural as possible. Our subconscious intention is to create a comfortable, pleasuring place to live and to fill this place with objects with the same precise intention. Physical, environmental designs are much more perfect, than the non-physical ones. Mistakes are just too obvious to ignore. While designing a physical object, revision is easy to perform – the created prototype is put through series of tests, the mistakes are noted and resolved. Everything is done in a very natural process of interacting with the item. You wouldn’t buy a scissors that doesn’t fit in your hand, would you? For some reason not many users think about how well the non-physical interface is designed, but today it is very important to do so.
So what is that ideal natural state? Generally it should be a UI which feels natural to use, is easy to follow, is not visually overwhelming and acts as a part of reality. There is something needed to be understood in order to create such designs. The abstract meaning of UI, the connection between data and reality, the most important part is you.
Let me make an example.
I always tend to put myself in a clean environment, which provides a depth of perfection and absoluteness. Which allows me to focus on what I need, when I need? It allows feeling the environment just as it is and nothing more. I imagine a small example of a perfect surrounding suitable for everything. It is a square room; it is modular and can transform its shape when required. The whole place is painted white only, but there is a light. The light is changing color according to the desired mood. It is big enough to feel free, but not too big, to feel small. It is a unit of harmony of the relationship between men and their surroundings. It feels like nothing, but everything. Your presence is filling it with whatever you want.
Now to connect it with the GUI, imagine yourself inside of such a room. You have few options to explore it. By olfaction, touch, vision, hearing, and taste. While working with a graphical user interface, you get fewer options. You certainly can touch it and see it, but you can hardly taste it or smell it. Also hearing is not that useful and the touch is more like an input device, than a processing unit. In the reality we are part of the surrounding, on the screen we are not. I personally disbelief the designer should try to reproduce elements of reality on the screen. In contrary he should look for a way to bring the “abstract” feeling, the mood of the room into the device. Current UIs proves the remaking pots, buttons, gloss, shadows, etc. is not ideal. The device is more of an empty room from the example above, than a desk or table.
The data explanation today is mostly graphic. Designers can work with shapes, colours, text, icons, sound and even movement. Although the major problem isn’t how it does look, it is the way we interact with data. Even when the UI is dynamic, changing with every movement, click, whatever, the data access is mostly static. Once click – one action – one rendering. I think the interface should be visually simplified, while the ways of interaction should be improved and extended.
I’ll show few visual examples in the next story.
Thank you.
What is it?
