Interactivity Gone Wrong

Hello, and happy new year to you all! Over the holidays I’ve been emailing Simon Morse about my project and bringing all my ideas together. He’s been a great help and given me lots of inspiration and advice.

I’ve decided to go with the “wrong interface” idea, which I thought of originally, and have developed that idea over the holidays. I’ve also continued looking into optical illusions and Op art and would like to incorporate some of these graphical elements into my final piece.

I’ve taken some inspiration from the “Fonejacker” programme “Flat for Rent” episodes, as I would like to create an interface which would be similar to an automated telephone system: no matter which button you press it keeps misinterpreting what you are saying and it selects something different. The user tends to get aggravated and frustrated in these situations on the programme, as they cannot achieve their aim and there is no option to speak to a real person. It’s technology gone wrong, instead of the user being in control and being aided by technology, the technology is working against them and is stopping them from reaching their aim. This is a theme I have researched and is a main component in the book “The Design of Everyday things” by Donald Norman, which I mentioned in one of my previous blogs. Below is a clip of the “Flat to Rent” sketch from the “Fonejacker” program:



The interface which I will create will be different to this as the user will not have an aim in mind when they interact with the interface, unless I set a task for them beforehand. I’d rather not set the user a specific aim though as I’d like the interface to be more like an experimental website rather than a game. I’d like the interface to be rational yet irrational at the same time; similar to the machines created by Simon Morse. It will also incorporate the theme of repetition which I’ve been looking into as the sequence will go round in a continual loop; certain options will be random, but others will be planned and if you reach the end it will return you to the beginning. It will also be comical and interesting to interact with as the options may not always be logical and some combinations of options will not be instantly connected in your brain; this may create new pathways and stimulate mental activity. I may also incorporate a timer into the interface so that the user can see exactly how much time they have spent interacting with it.

I am considering building an input device for this piece from one of the tutorials Rhona showed us. This will limit the user even more, so they will be interacting within strict boundaries without distraction. This may help the user to focus more on the interface and make their interaction with it more enjoyable and interesting. The tutorial for the making of this device can be seen here:
www.nastypixel.com/instantsoup/?page_id=71"Z

Let me know what you think. As always, any ideas/suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated. Sorry I haven’t got back to some of your comments over the holidays-I will do soon!