Archive for January, 2008
interface shminterface
Digital: There is a music news website I often visit at www.aquariumdrunkard.com. The layout reads like a typical blog, but the gentleman that runs it post so much news and information that you can link back and forth between new and old articles very easily. This is handy in case you’ve missed some previous entries. He also allows you to download mp3’s of the music he posts or stream it directly from the page. He also posts his internet radio shows on the blog to make it even more interactive. This is not the most exciting digital interface, but it is one I am currently looking at, so it is fresh in my brain.
Non-digital: Right now, this desk I am sitting at seems like good interface to me. It is at the perfect height and has ample space for my computer, scanner, sketchbook and record player. What more do you need?
Good Interfaces
Non-digital Interface: New York Subway Maps and Signs
I think the New York Subway system’s materials are good examples of interface because I usually have trouble getting around using public transportation in other countries. In New York however, I only had to ride the subway twice in order to get the hang of it. In New York you only need to know generally whether you’re heading uptown and downtown, and the signs before you go down the stairs spell out exactly that, and even whether or not you should have your Metrocard on hand because some entry points won’t have machines or tellers.
Digital Interface: www.yellowbook.com
I don’t usually like answering my cellphone if the number calling isn’t someone I know. So when I was watching Cashmere Mafia one day and saw one of the characters tracing the number backwards on the Internet, I went “Oh yeah, I could do that!” So I went to yellowbook.com and found the tab “Reverse Lookup” and voila, I found out who was calling me, or at least from where a person was calling me. It was so easy, I only wish we had the same thing back in my home country. 
an apple a day…
I gotta say, I’m really fond of my ipod nano. In fact, I’m fond of pretty much all Apple products that I come in contact with. The term ‘user friendly’ is kind of over used but, well, they are! They have an almost intuitive quality to them. When I first got my nano, since there was no apparent volume control, I asked my nephew how to adjust the sound. He said, ’just put your hand on it and do what comes naturally’. I held it in my hand and moved my fingers and the volume changed.
No tag for this post.we ourselves are interfaces
as designers, we are the conduit between ideas and the ability of the audience to understand the intended message
No tag for this post.Bugaboo daytrip-Interface
No tag for this post.Interface examples
EXAMPLES: MAPS
Digital: googlemaps.com or hopstop.com.
Non digital:NY Subway map, NY State street map
No tag for this post.Interface
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This in·ter·face 
(ĭn’tər-fās’) Pronunciation Key
n.
- A surface forming a common boundary between adjacent regions, bodies, substances, or phases.
- A point at which independent systems or diverse groups interact: “the interface between crime and politics where much of our reality is to be found” (Jack Kroll).
- Computer Science
- The point of interaction or communication between a computer and any other entity, such as a printer or human operator.
- The layout of an application’s graphic or textual controls in conjunction with the way the application responds to user activity: an interface whose icons were hard to remember.
putting people into a grid
Please mind your sizes…
This is just a quick note to let remind you that the 10k pixel trap assignment requires you to choose a file size of exactly 10,000 pixels, not more not less. I have also edited the brief, you can choose whatever format you think is appropriate for your image, not necessarily a JPG. (GIF & PNG would work just fine)
see you tomorrow,
Mushon
Pixelart Sweatshop
This is crazy, some hong-kong site have launched a pixelarted map of the city with a Google Maps like interface. I wonder if they outsourced it to China where some 12 year olds have been pushing pixels on this piece for 18 hours a day…
on 
