gregariosa-CriticalInterface

“3. The interface exists in the crease between space and time; it is a device and simultaneously a situation. It is rendered (updated under thoughtful conditions) and emergent (joining into something new).

  • Try to delay your interaction with the interface by counting to 10 before clicking. Count to 100. Wait an hour, a day. (1+cH)
  • Invite yourself to act and perform in a different way. Imagine a different gender, age, location, character, social position for 20 minutes every day. Review how the render changes. (1+cH)
  • Read a book before your next internet connection. The first thing you do when you connect, is to report on what you read. (1+cH)”

I was intrigued by this tenet, as it beautifully contextualizes where interactions take place: “the crease between space and time.” The proposals challenge the reader to be more thoughtful in interacting with an interface, by slowing down time, changing your persona, or changing the course of events within the interaction. It begs the reader to recognize how meaningful interactions can elicit new reactions from even the most mundane interface you’ve always interacted with. I like the vision they project, as interfaces that make you think far outweigh those that only consume. Realistically though, I wonder how plausible it is to encourage such active engagement from a design standpoint, in an age when passive consumption has become a norm and is grossly preferred.