For this weekend’s ‘go somewhere you’ve never been’ trip I took my usual route to and around campus while it was deserted, and looked at everything with new eyes.
I hadn’t planned for this to be my someplace new trip, but as I was walking along, in a bit of an emotional downer from other stuff, I realized I had never, in the years I had walked by it, really looked at the strange artwork outside the Main Computer lab, the chaos to order progression thingy nailed to the bricks. That was a lot of commas.
But really, this got me to thinking about how we stop seeing the world and focus our attention on selected things, on new stuff or the dog poop on the sidewalk, or the general notion of fall leaves; while not noticing any of the details a kid or newcomer would.
Miles, this is your cue to pat yourself on the back for opening my eyes.
So interactivity connection. I was thinking about what, in computer interaction, becomes taken for granted. Buttons came to mind. I’ve used programs with shiny Mac buttons where clicking on them results in a pleasing visual and auditory response, and I’ve slummed it with squares that don’t change a bit when clicked, except the program stops responding for a bit. Either one is as effective for the computer, but for the user it is very different. Flashy fluff, the snotty programmer in my wants to say, and not worth the hours required to create. But it does matter, and the end users will care.
Hind sight: duh…
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I know the artwork that you are talking about. Isn't it cool? I don't think I have ever really taken the time to stop and look at it before though, maybe I will next time I am around that way. I do recall it having some eye-catching colors and an interesting layout. I am also intrigued by the new Stonehenge-looking set up that is in between Britt and the SU. However, I think that it is more easily noticeable because it is something new. As you said, we tend to ignore the things that we pass by every single day.
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