Connecting Through Screens
From Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare to the rss feeds which are filtered to us through our aggregators and devices. Managing global data on our local monitors and touch-screens, we maintain social networks, follow breaking news and share our location. Today, it’s not just those that are in the design world that consider a screen perhaps the most vital tool in creation and collaboration.
There have been tablet computers before but the release of Apple’s iPad this past spring led to a breakthrough in application design for literature, gaming, and education. What could possibly be next? Iain Roberts, co-leader of Ideo talked about consumer electronic design in Dwell magazine. He stated that “The dominant element in a lot of the products we are designing is the screen: It’s changed the way we design and now we’re needing to build the product around it. We’re looking to tie the physical and graphical interaction together as closely as possible, paying new attention to materials, surface, finishes, and details as well as focusing on sensory aspects such as touch and sound. We’re looking to products to engage all the senses.”
Here are a few new ways screens will enter our lives:
My Ford Touch will soon change how drivers interact with their vehicles. Consumers will use “touch-sensitive buttons, touch screens, and voice recognition.” In addition to this, OnStar is adding voice-command Facebook and SMS status updates.
What’s thrilling is finding out that those who are lacking the sense of sight can engage and thrive with a touch-screen tool. Austin Seraphin, blind since birth, explained in June how the iPhone changed his life forever. He recently posted about rejoining the Apple family of computer users and shared his experience with the Color Identifier app on his Behind the Curtain blog.
Some offices think that open spaces foster creative collaboration. Others believe that the less contact you have, the more work you get done. Yanko Design shared an idea developed by Zhang Wei of an electronic imaging screen embedded within an office wall panel that displays programmed messages.
Sony has produced a fantastic flexible 4.1 inch screen. Readius has developed the pocket e-reader with a rollable display screen. IDEO released an intriguing video showcasing their vision for the future of the book. Their three concepts provide greater interaction, relevance, and content discovery than ever seen before in a touch-screen device.
How will screens affect your life in the near future?
(Jennifer Kubeczko) @rebranded
Photo courtesy of Enrique Dans via Flickr Creative Commons license.
