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I am not sure if I'd call that terminal system anymore useful that those futuristic interfaces where everyone is moving screens around with their hands, headset

I am not sure if I'd call that terminal system anymore useful that those futuristic interfaces where everyone is moving screens around with their hands, headsets with contextual information overlaid atop objects, etc. They ignore: 1) Usability and ergonomics 2) Privacy implications 3) Technical feasibility 4) Operability in adverse conditions 5) Health effects I could list more. Also, why do these futuristic interfaces have so much pizzaz, its no less decorative than say victorian frames with french curves. Instead, we have 45 degree lines and chamfers. WHY!? The entire sci-fi aesthetics throw away what we know about the world, pragmatism and functionalism. Instead, sci-fi aesthetics focus on what looks cool. If future is full of this kind of interfaces, devices and aesthetics; I don't want to be part of it. I also understand the fiction bit in science fiction. This is a collection of ideas imagined and not supposed to be practical. That's fine and treat it like Harry Potter or any fictional world. But, when you start desiging real things with consequences (such as human-machine interfaces where astronaut's lives depend on), I have a problem with that. Marketing is not the language of nature and decoration is a crime.

atoav 7y ago
As somebody who makes films himself this isn’t quite as easy: although I personally agree with your sentiment, the task of a story you told in the filmic medium usually isn’t to be realistic. What studios instead care about is to create a world that most people can believe in. And sometimes this means to make something look futuristic just to constantly remind viewers that this is a completely different universe. Additionally set designers have usually quite little time to think about all the details. They are essentially in the job of cobbling together something that looks ok in as little time as possible for as little money as possible. When it comes to interfaces in films I kinda like the way Alien (1979) did it: very realistic, kinda gritty, very distinct graphical language
- spectramax 7y ago
  I enjoyed reading your response. You're right, movie makers and studios, comic artists and set designers - they are all doing what they need to do to realize the vision of the writer/director. I think the onus is on engineers who should balance all aspects of design, engineering, cost and manufacturing to come up with an optimal product. They shouldn't be making tradeoffs in favor for frivolous endeavors. Applies to both, software and hardware products and services. That said, we have Steve Jobs (and his fundamentalism in aesthetics over functionality), Elon Musk and many other successful people in the history who have twisted the equation.
  - atoav 7y ago
    The interesting question here is: Isn't what Steve Jobs was doing and Elon Musk is doing, very similar to what set designers do in film? Their designs are certainly meant to tell a story, to get the fantasy of the "audience" going. And just judging the sales it kinda works for Apple. Elon Musk is certainly in the trade of selling stories as well, and he is quite good at it which explains his sucess. As somebody who moves between engineering and design a lot I like to stress this: cosmetics and storytelling by design are not without their function. I also hate it when the cosmetics become everything and the function nothing, but many engineers don't realize that the cosmetics alone can change the perception of things so much, that they impact both function and the real world usage. A curious example is the Mexican neighbourhood of Las Palmitas¹ – a hillside part of town with drug problems. Instead of investing into drug prevention the government just painted the houses with colors. This apparently changed more in the communities conduct than any invisible but functional thing could have ever done. The fictional part of design (so once you see a thing, what does it invoke in you), is something that often gets completely ignored by engineers, just like the functional aspect sometimes gets ignored by designers (although I'd call them bad designers then). --- ¹ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mexico-pachuca-mural-las-palmitas-public-art https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mexico-pachuca...

atoav 7y ago

As somebody who makes films himself this isn’t quite as easy: although I personally agree with your sentiment, the task of a story you told in the filmic medium usually isn’t to be realistic. What studios instead care about is to create a world that most people can believe in. And sometimes this means to make something look futuristic just to constantly remind viewers that this is a completely different universe. Additionally set designers have usually quite little time to think about all the details. They are essentially in the job of cobbling together something that looks ok in as little time as possible for as little money as possible. When it comes to interfaces in films I kinda like the way Alien (1979) did it: very realistic, kinda gritty, very distinct graphical language

spectramax 7y ago
I enjoyed reading your response. You're right, movie makers and studios, comic artists and set designers - they are all doing what they need to do to realize the vision of the writer/director. I think the onus is on engineers who should balance all aspects of design, engineering, cost and manufacturing to come up with an optimal product. They shouldn't be making tradeoffs in favor for frivolous endeavors. Applies to both, software and hardware products and services. That said, we have Steve Jobs (and his fundamentalism in aesthetics over functionality), Elon Musk and many other successful people in the history who have twisted the equation.
- atoav 7y ago
  The interesting question here is: Isn't what Steve Jobs was doing and Elon Musk is doing, very similar to what set designers do in film? Their designs are certainly meant to tell a story, to get the fantasy of the "audience" going. And just judging the sales it kinda works for Apple. Elon Musk is certainly in the trade of selling stories as well, and he is quite good at it which explains his sucess. As somebody who moves between engineering and design a lot I like to stress this: cosmetics and storytelling by design are not without their function. I also hate it when the cosmetics become everything and the function nothing, but many engineers don't realize that the cosmetics alone can change the perception of things so much, that they impact both function and the real world usage. A curious example is the Mexican neighbourhood of Las Palmitas¹ – a hillside part of town with drug problems. Instead of investing into drug prevention the government just painted the houses with colors. This apparently changed more in the communities conduct than any invisible but functional thing could have ever done. The fictional part of design (so once you see a thing, what does it invoke in you), is something that often gets completely ignored by engineers, just like the functional aspect sometimes gets ignored by designers (although I'd call them bad designers then). --- ¹ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mexico-pachuca-mural-las-palmitas-public-art https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/mexico-pachuca...