Welcome back... (it's been awhile)!

Hi. I am presuming, like me, life has been incredibly busy. After posting this blog I will attend to the 1100 'unread' emails! I am declaring a new EMAIL FREE WEEK soon. I'll let you know when it happens! By the time you read this posting I should have or will be receiving soon your essays (remember to email them via a Word document).

I promise your results for the first assignment (the Slide show) will be returned this weekend!
So here's the latest blog and activities which will take you at least two weeks to read and complete!

Some thoughts on Interface:
To understand how interface works we have to understand the total picture. As Hutchins (1995) so effectively pointed out, thinking is not something that goes on entirely, or even mostly, inside people’s heads. (cited in Ware, 2004). Most cognition is done as a kind of interaction with cognitive tools, pencils and paper, calculators, and increasingly, computer-based intellectual supports and information systems (Ware, 2004 p. 20). Ware makes a good point, cognition in engineering, banking, business and the arts is similarly carried out through distributed cognitive systems. IN each case “thinking” occurs through interaction between individuals, using cognitive tools, and operating within social networks.
Read the following article by Edwin Hutchins which gives a good introduction to Distributed Cognition.

http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/Anthro179a/DistributedCognition.pdf

So what is the connection with visualisation, cognition and design? As designers we must be aware of the role of visualisation. As Ware points out, we acquire more information through vision than through all of the other senses combined.

“On the one hand, we have the human visual system, a flexible pattern finder, coupled with an adaptive decision making mechanism. On the other hand are the computational power and vast information resources of the computer and the World Wibe Web. Interactive visualisations are increasingly the interface between the two” (Ware 2004, p. 2).

Visualisation
Today more than any other time we are confronted with visual representations of many aspects of life.
Just have a look at the latest thesaurus… a visual thesaurus:

http://www.thinkmap.com/visualthesaurus.jsp

have a play…

http://www.visualthesaurus.com

So why do we need to know about visualisation and how does it relate to visual design and interface design?

Well… here's a great example...the iPhone is all the rage and people are lining up for hours in George St Sydney to buy one… Have a read of the following articles to see why visualisation is important for designers:

http://infosthetics.com/archives/2008/01/tufte_alternative_iphone_interface_design.html

Edward Rolf Tufte (pronounced /ˈtʌfti/) (born 1942) is an American statistician and Professor Emeritus of statistics, information design, interface design and political economy at Yale University.^[1] He has been described by The New York Times as "the da Vinci of Data". ^[2]

He is an expert in the presentation of informational graphics such as charts and diagrams, and is a fellow of the American Statistical Association. Tufte has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences.
Ref: Wikipedia

See what Edward thinks of the iPhone in relation to Visual Design…

http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00036T&topic_id=1

For the next two weeks I will provide you with some concepts and ideas that you need to develop 'good design'… some considerations to engage your viewers and some exemplary examples to explore…

interface design
Our friend Wikipedia defines ‘interface design’ as….

User interface design or user interface engineering is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user's experience and interaction. Where traditional graphic design seeks to make the object or application physically attractive, the goal of user interface design is to make the user's interaction as simple and efficient as possible, in terms of accomplishing user goals—what is often called user-centered design. Where good graphic/industrial design is bold and eye catching, good user interface design is to facilitate finishing the task at hand over drawing attention to itself. Graphic design may be utilized to apply a theme or style to the interface without compromising its usability. The design process of an interface must balance the meaning of its visual elements that conform the mental model of operation, and the functionality from a technical engineering perspective, in order to create a system that is both usable and easy to adapt to the changing user needs.
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface_design

Other expanded definitions that you might want to explore include:
* Cognitive dimensions
* Elements of graphical user interfaces
* Experience design
* Gameplay
* Gender HCI
* Graphical user interface
* Human-computer interaction
* Human geography
* Information architecture
* Interaction design
* Interaction design pattern
* Interactivity
* Knowledge visualization
* New interfaces for musical expression
* Participatory design
* Usability
* User-centered design
* User interface
* Web design

Marc Silver in his book Exploring Interface Design (ref. Silver, M. (2005). Exploring Interface Design. Australia: Thomson Delmar Learning. )

Gives some tips for good design… things to consider…

• Use the power of interactivity to engage your audience
• Whenever possible design multimedia software programs and websites that access live databases of information
• Look for opportunities to build a sense of community and shared purpose to the websites you design.

Multimedia software is excellent to simulate all types of procedures such as lab experiments, surgical procedures, flight simulations…

Have a look (and play) with this simulation….

http://www.froguts.com/flash_content/index.html

Silver defines user interface as…

• Often shortened to interface, or is sometimes called human-computer interaction (HCI) or computer-human interaction (CHI) (2005, p.7).
• The creation of an elegant user interface is equal parts science and art. The science is often referred to as usability (2005, p.9).

Have a look at the following sites and see what you think about usability… does it work for you?

http://www.2020london.com/
(Have a look at the case studies Entertainment… and the making of Playstation’s 24)

http://www.analogue.ca

Very different… very chic!

Here’s an exercise for this week…

I want you to find three (3) websites to match these three words (esoteric words & phrases)… post the websites URL's on your blog for us all to enjoy….

1. Abstract thought
A function of the Self expressing itself through the higher mental or causal body.

2. Aspiration
From the Latin "ad" — to and "spirare" — to breathe, to breathe towards. Aspiration must precede inspiration, a burning desire and a fiery determination.

3. Aura
A subtle or invisible essence or fluid which emanates from human and animal bodies and even things. It is psychic effluvium, partaking of both mind and body. It is electo-vital and electro-mental. Etheric, astral, mental bodies.

HINT: You may want to Google web design award winners

DECONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY
How do we understand ‘good interface' design...

of course by understanding ‘bad’ interface design..

Silver (2005, p. 15) again:

THE COSTS OF BAD USER INTERFACE DESIGN

• Imagine being stuck in a room with no visible way to get out.
• Imagine being lost in a foreign country and being unable to communicate with anyone. When you finally find someone who speaks your language, he forces you to listen to his life story before giving you the directions you need.
• Imagine being forced to make a decision with serious consequences when you don’t understand the choices.
• Imagine being on a highway with so many signs competing for your attention that you can’t possibly pick out the one you need to follow.
• Imagine having to reintroduce yourself each time you saw you best friends.
• Imagine having to walk around the block every time you want to move from one room to another in your house.
• Imagine being incredibly hungry, but unable to figure out how to open the refrigerator.
• Imagine hiring an employee who refuses to do what you ask of him and makes you feel stupid for asking.

In the next two weeks I would like you to read the following two articles... on Cognitive Load Theory

http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/staff/sweller/clt/index.html

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet6/cooper.html

Enjoy!