The fundamentals of the computer interface have remained basically unchanged since 1973 when Xeroc PARC came up with the mouse-based window interface concept. A quick look back at Apple in 1980 will show you how similar your current OS interface is to these supposed antiques.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is a good design, but there could be better. Jakob Nielsen is all about the next big thing, which is (according to him) the anti-mac interface. He and his cohort, Donald Norman have long touted the non-interface (and even the non-computer).

Having grown up with window & mouse type computing, it’s hard to imagine anything beyond it (PalmOS is one of the few examples of an alternative). Recently, Lionhead Studios has taken an interesting step into what the future of interfaces may be. Their new game, Black & White has no menus or buttons, just a hand controlled by your mouse. Gamespot describes it well:

“You the player are manifested as an elegantly simple, all-powerful hand hovering above the earth. Not wanting to break the illusion of the gameworld with buttons, tabs, and menu screens, the designers have made the hand the entirety of your interface.”

It seems to be quite intuitive and should prove an interesting experiment in interface design. Of course, I don’t play computer games.

A few other interesting notes about the game: Apparently, Lionhead Studios planned to ship two versions of the game (one black and one white), one costing $5 more. The extra $5 was to be donated to a charity. This is a play on the theme of the game in which you are a god and have the choice to be benevolent or evil. The added complexity for retailers prevented the plan from going through, but they deserve credit for trying. Brilliant.

Also, the game uses your Outlook contact list to name is characters and apparently attempts to check weather reports online and match in-game weather with the weather from your region. These guys deserve every cent they make.

Again, a reminder: I don’t play computer games.

UPDATE:
More on the game Black & White in this behind the scenes development article at Gamespot.

I think the logic goes something like this:

Premise #1:
1995 was better than 1985

Premise #2:
T2 was better than Terminator

Conclusion:
The higher the number, the better.

While I worry that much of what is happening in the world is powered by such logic, my concern today is more specific.

I read an article on News.com about upcoming software for the 3D Internet. I can’t wait to try to convince some online stamp store that they don’t need 3D walkthroughs of their stamps. It’s hard enough convincing people that they don’t need a cartoon at the start of every site.

Of course, there are good potential applications for the third dimension in computing, but as the ultimate computer weenie, Jakob Nielsen, says (roughly paraphrased) 3D is not always an efficient mode of navigation on a computer. For example, think how easy Quake or Doom would be if you just looked at a 2D map from above and click on the bad guys you wanted to kill.

Have you ever pushed on a pull door? Have you ever stood waiting for an automatic sliding door to open, only to find out it’s a window? Are you sick of the blinking 12:00 on your VCR? Rise up against the tyranny of bad design!

I recently finished reading Donald Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things. It was an epiphany. It’s a nice feeling when someone coherently articulates your half-baked thoughts. Isaac Asimov’s endorsement on the book jacket sums it up well (if I ever write a book, I sure hope Isaac Asimov endorses it):

“We are all victimized by the natural perversity of inanimate objects. Here is a book at last that strikes back both at the objects and at the designers, manufacturers, and assorted human beings who originate and maintain this perversity. It will do your heart good and may even point the way to correcting matters.”

Jakob Neilsen, usability nut, offers this interesting proposition:

“…the real platform these days is Office and that Microsoft’s monopoly at this new level is of more concern than what they do with Windows…”

To a degree, this is true. Most common business documents use the Microsoft Office formats (primarily Word, Excel, and Powerpoint). Regardless of whether you are using a Mac or a Windows PC (I realize that there are significant operating systems left out here), you can email Office documents to other (Microsoft sanctioned) platforms to your hearts content.

I hate to use the term technolust, but I can’t think of a better way to describe my feelings towards Microsoft’s new Tablet PC.

I want one of these, bad. To absolve myself of consumer-culture guilt, I offer these totally unrelated items:

• Ralph Nader proves why he should have won the election by proposing a coin-toss to settle the election.
• Adbusters’ Buy Nothing Day is getting some big press at Wired.com.
• Read microserfs by Douglas Copeland.

This used to link to a cool litte flash app by Joshua Davis, but linkrot ate it.

click on the + and – on the left side to learn about life

if you don’t see anything, it’s because you don’t have flash. i don’t expect you to download it just for me. you’re not missing too much.

From Jakob Neilsen‘s Alertbox column on Regulatory Usability at useit.com:

“I don’t like the Government telling Microsoft to make their software even worse by preventing them from integrating features into the operating system. I also don’t like the notion of user interfaces designed by the Justice Department.”

I don’t like Microsoft‘s bully tactics any more than the next guy (NOTE: I love Notepad), but I definitely agree with Jakob on this one.