Using the physical metaphor of picking up objects and throwing them on a surface, the ARK (Alternate Reality Kit) allows users to work with an interactive simulation. The objects can also be manipulated to have different characteristics such as gravity and motion, and all the functions allowed by the Smalltalk-80 programming language with which the ARK was written. In his paper, "Experiences with ARK" Randall B. Smith overviews the interface as it relates to this metaphor but more importantly how it relates to the tension between what he calls the literal and magical features. He refers to literal functions as those that are "true to the interface metaphor." In this case, the fact that the user can pick up and throw an object. Smith then defines magical features as those that move away from the strict literal interpretation of the interface and provide a different kind of functionality, "those capabilities that deliberately violate the metaphor." These magical capabilities have more to do with the interaction of the user and the interface than with the actual obvious intention (literal) of the interface. After separating these two different features what interests Smith is what considerations must be taken when designing an interface. He compares the literal and magical functions to analyze the ease of functionality vs. the learnability of the interface. Observing users interact with the interface he concludes that the magical features of the interface are more helpful in regards to the functionality of the interface, whereas the literal features create more "impact on learning time." The question is, he concludes, "How does a designer decide when to implement a capability" that it's magic instead of literal. Think of the desktop on your computer and question how perhaps the metaphor of a desk and paper spread around can be improved to provide a more magical interface without sacrificing the functionality of it. What Smith proposes is a new approach to computer interface design that can lead to more friendly and intuitive systems. Systems that are easier to learn while functioning the same.
The following sites are similar to the ARK interface (especially the first one), and will allow you to see the magical and literal features that Smith discusses.
Soda Play
Yugo
Play Create
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2 comments:
Good analogy, with the desktop vs. a real desktop. I notice that my desktop in both senses stays really cluttered, because my organizational skills are the same across the platforms.
I was thinking about Photoshop in the same way. It is a highly learnable program, because many of the functions on it are analogous for ways to doctor photos, like the burn tool. To someone like me who doesn't know photography terms , when you learn techniques in a literal user interface, you learn a bit about the way it would be done in life.
When I was reading this article I was thinking about second life a lot...the way that it feels magical to me in the sense of transporting/flying/and creation.
I also found the desktop v real destop analogy interesting. My habits are the same with both desks. A little bit messy but definitely easy for me to navigate.
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