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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: November 03, 2002 Ubiquitously yours (v-2) -- "My hope is that, with care and attention to the needs of human beings in all the texture and mystery of their real, everyday lives, we can design systems that will support us when we need support, operate imperceptibly on our behalf when required, and just as imperceptibly fade from the picture during those valuable moments when we choose to go it alone."
Reader Comments...
This article manages to express both the hopes and the fears that come from the promises of 'ubiquitous computing'. For some reason it reminded me of the debates around "Taylorism". And I only had to look up 5 words in the dictionary, although I did have to print it off to read it properly. A very thoughful piece, just right for contemplation on a Sunday afternoon. Posted by: Mac on November 3, 2002 10:16 AM
Wish this was written in English. Posted by: Cheese Witherspoon on November 3, 2002 03:59 PM
Eu desejo este fui escrito em uma língua que eu poderia compreender! Posted by: on November 3, 2002 04:59 PM
I wish v-2's "Large Print" option used a larger font itself, and wasn't hidden at the bottom. For a site that claims to have a usability focus, that's bad. Plus, the Default text button goes to the site's default, not my default. I emailed them to complain. The article itself made good points. I would rather not have "ubi-comp" at all if it goes the Panopticon route.
funn how they proudly display nifty looking 'valid xhtml' and 'valid css' icons, but that page isn't either of those. Posted by: db on November 3, 2002 10:45 PM
a. v-2 does not now and has never claimed to have a usability focus. Usability is one area of interest, among many. b. Chad: There is no them. There's only me. c. It sure is validating, on both counts, otherwise we wouldn't display the icons. What may have happened, as explained exhaustively in the Design Notes, is that articles may occasionally need to link to a URL which is not itself well-formed, which will obviously disrupt validation. The page itself, however, is still good to go. Try validating the index page to confirm this, and if it still doesn't validate, then go ahead and write me because I'll know we have a problem. d. You guys have anything to say about the content itself? Really, db, your comments are a splendid example of why people outside this community are increasingly inclined to disregard it. By not seeing the forest for the trees, you deprive those reading your words of the opportunity to form an opinion as to whether it's worth clicking through or not. What's more important, icons or ideas? You just can't please anyone these days. The designers all whine about the colors and the fonts. The usability folks wish the large print went larger still. I'm beginning to be sorry I ever went to the effort I did to balance all these conflicting prerogatives, you know? Glad you liked it, Mac. Posted by: Adam Greenfield on November 4, 2002 08:05 AM
Adam, I not only like it, I think it's a very important article. For me it puts the Human back into HCI instead of promoting the technological cart. It shows that the responsibility for awful technological systems lie with us and not the users. They internalize the blame for not being able to find their way around poorly-imagined sites, and they thereafter approach new technological challenges with anxiety and disdain. Earlier this year I built a mock-up of an 'Internet Fridge'. The managers wanted a fridge with a in built TV, browser and bar-code reader that allowed the users to extend their office into their kitchen. I balked at the idea and said I would only build the system, if they let me do something a bit different. Foolishly they agreed... We now have an 'Internet Fridge' called Gentoo, that allows the family members to communicate with each other, listen to e-books, catch up on their missed radio programs, find out what time the husband will get home, check the latest lottery numbers, listen to their own music, and view grandads latest project about the depression. We have replaced the bar-codes with radio tags, so the fridge always knows what food you've got in your cupboards as well as the fridge. It will suggest meals based on your cooking abaility and time constraints. The management wanted a 'computer in every device', but I wanted 'some humanity in every device'. RE: The comments (or lack of). It's very disheartening to put a lot of effort into producing something, only for people to dismiss it (apparently) out of hand. I just wanted to say, you keep on writing, and I'll keep on printing it off and reading it. PS. have you posted the paper you were going to present at the conference? Posted by: Mac on November 4, 2002 09:07 AM
I haven't, and I probably won't, but Alan Dix has it in PDF at (urgh)
Adam: I want to give you a public congratulation on the redesign; a beautiful, balanced experience. On the article, I am still re-reading it to get a full sense of your ideas, and to explore the links. The distinction between assistant and superintendent is effective. I am already suffering the 'All-Seeing Eye' with a simple GPRS phone and access to 802.11 here in Oslo, the key design failures in these systems being the lack of personal reputation and privacy tools. Posted by: Timo on November 5, 2002 03:28 AM
Why, thank you, sir. What do the YH kids think? ; . ) Posted by: Adam Greenfield on November 5, 2002 04:01 AM
the YH'ers have many opinions of course, some of them even want you to GIF the text rather than doing it in HTML. hahaha. Posted by: Timo on November 5, 2002 05:22 AM
Like the idea of your environment learning your behaviours (everyday tasks), responding accordingly and technology assisting. Examples: Would fun to think of these 'everyday experiences' where technology could really help or automate our interactions. Posted by: daniel szuc on November 5, 2002 08:33 AM
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