Wednesday, October 7, 2009

what a lovely gesture

In case I haven't told you yet: I lovelovelove my Macbook Pro.

One of the things I love the most is the way Apple just plain gets it when it comes to user interface. Most of the time, when people in the computer world use the word "interface" they're referring either to the electronic connection between devices or the screen through which the user (ie. you) receives information from your computer.

What Apple does with Mac, as with most of their products, is make a machine whose interface with the user is not only complex visually, but also tactilely. The touchpad doesn't give you any information - that's still all visual - but the fact that I can use the pad to do far more than move the cursor and click is... well, revolutionary. It goes far beyond the 1 = 1 set-up of a keyboard and mouse configuration; it is a whole language of gestures that connects me with the machine as a tool designed for me, the user, not the person programming or building it. It's User Centred Design (UCD).

To give you an idea if you don't have a (newer) Mac, here's a video from 2008 of Steve Jobs presenting a few of the gestures that make Apple my design sweetheart. Okay, my other design sweetheart.



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