Barcodes, and optimism

I just wanted to briefly update yesterday's entry. Firstly, I've been reading a lot today about Microsoft's Surface interface. There are a good number of interaction designers being pretty negative about it's usefulness, and Chris Bernard (one of Microsoft's User Experience Evangelists) responding to that negativity by suggesting that there should be a bit more vision, creativity, and enthusiasm.

I think they're both right—we need enthusiasm and openness to new ideas, and some blue sky thinking. We need people putting technology out there and encouraging people to create. But part of the job of a user experience/usability/interaction design professional is to look at how things might actually work in the real world. How people could use them. How technology could fit into their life. Why it solves a problem for humanity, or enhances the experience of life.

All this just made me think that I didn't want to appear too negative about Semipedia yesterday: I think the idea's interesting and exciting, and I want to think of, or find out about, a really great way to use it.

Chris Bernard's blog