Theory

In an age of information, the metaphors we use to comprehend all those zeros and ones are as central, and as meaningful, as the cathedrals of the Middle Ages. The social life of that time revolved around the spires and buttresses of “infinity imagined.” Our own lives now revolve around a more prosaic text: the computer desktop. Understanding the implications of that metaphor—its genius and its implications—is the key to understanding the contemporary interface. —Steven Johnson

Brief articles and synopses from Tonya.

Interfaces of the word and its transitions

The interface of reading is a pervasive cultural practice. In an oral culture the speaker would be the “contact surface” or interface between an audience and any content. Particular elements of language such as cadence in poetry and song might help an audience navigate an interface as would be the case with epic narratives. more...

Ed Tufte and Simple Rules of Color and Transparency

Architect Christopher Alexander thinks of simple rules as those patterns which are "more ordinary than most things" (219). Interface design is comprised of such rules. There are books full of strategies for designing computer interfaces. Those strategies often change as quickly as the hardware and software for implementing them do. But there are some simple patterns which should be present in any interface design to insure effectiveness. Authors like Alexander and Edward Tufte reiterate that understanding why design rules exist is as important as understanding how to implement them in your own creations. Simple does not mean simplistic, a simple style is a choice, and a simple rule may be one of many such rules which create a complex system. Tufte writes that "simpleness of data and design = clarity of reading. Simpleness is another aesthetic preference, not an information display strategy, not a guide to clarity. What we seek instead is a rich texture of data, a comparative context, an understanding of complexity revealed with an economy of means" (Envisioning Information 51). Simple rules about color and transparency are important considerations in interface design and serve as examples of Alexander's concepts.

Alexander discusses simple rules in terms of the weaving of old Turkish prayer rugs. He claims all of the good ones follow one particular rule: "wherever there are two areas of color, side by side, there is a hairline of a different third color, between them" (A Timeless Way of Building 220). The rugs made this way are extremely beautiful, and it does not matter that the rule is a simple one, but that the rule is extremely powerful. A collection of simple rules on interface design does not mean the interface will always work because the patterns that make up those rules must follow a greater pattern—the author's or authors' vision. In the case of the Chartres cathedral, for example, a collection of artisans made the greater pattern possible through the crafting of their individual pieces and the harmonies of those patterns.

Josef Albers and Edward Tufte proffer simple rules about the use and interaction of color: colors interact and color becomes part of the information the interface shapes. Color and its visual impact are extremely important to the design of a virtual interface. Though humans can hear a single tone, we are often unable to distinguish a single color that is unconnected to other colors (Albers 5). Color shapes and encodes visual information.

Neal Stephenson

On the way.