Insights · July 1st, 2007
We typically talk to our computers through a set of buttons that transmit one letter of a command at a time, a mouse that can select whole words or phrases, and a smallish glass-like window where we see what we’re saying. We typically do that sitting down and a little hunched over – that’s exactly how I’m writing this now.
I hope no one thinks this is a preferred future. It’s simply what we’re used to. It works, but has unwanted side affects like carpal tunnel and laptop-briefcase shoulder.
We keep trying different ways to interact with our computers. Natural language translators like Dragon Naturally Speaking work, a little, but speech has never really caught on as a user interface. Some specialized fields like medicine use heads-up displays in a very small percentage of the world. There are many military versions of the heads up display, although I don’t know how much they’re used. I do know I still need to take my eyes off the road to see my speedometer or gas gauge.
But now I’m feeling hopeful. We have a Nintendo Wii in the household. We stood in line at an ungodly hour of the morning to get it a few months ago. For many of the games, it truly is different. More of our body has to move, and we’re generally NOT sitting hunched over. We love it. So do a lot of other people: one still has to stand in line at an ungodly hour to get a Wii.
And speaking of standing in ungodly lines, the Apple iPhone is different, too. I’ve used both of the most popular smartphones (the Blackberry and the Treo) and they are the equivalent of using a teeny tiny set of buttons to communicate one letter at a time while looking at a two-inch screen. The only good part is I’ve traded possible carpal tunnel for sore thumbs and squinty vision, and the laptop-shoulder problem has gone completely away. Now, I don’t have an Applie iPhone yet (I had to work Friday), but I’ll get around to ordering one sometime this year if the reviews are as good as I expect (remember, Apple invented the basics of today’s graphical user interface and they know how to think out of the box and market well).
The best news is that real change in how we talk to computers seems to be, finally, flooding popular culture. If we can figure out to get better ways to talk to the software we work with as well as the software we play with, I’m expecting to have more interesting days at work soon.
