If you have read anything on this site, you'll know that I am a huge fan of computational toys. Ben Fry, one of the folks behind Processing, posted this really cool Zip Code visualizer. I'm not sure if it was done in Processing, but it clearly could have ;)

Things like this give me a glimpse of what computer applications could become, beyond the current widget set provided by HTML or even Windows.

On the other hand, it would be even better if most interfaces just disappeared entirely... it would be interesting to find out how much time in a day someone spends dealing with excise like clicking through directory structures, filling out silly dialog boxes, logging in, etc., versus doing things that actually pertain to what the person wants to get done. The Cooper folks call this "goal-oriented design", and it can really lead to some interesting (but sometimes unorthodox) solutions. Do check it out if you're at all involved in building software for humans.
posted on 1/12/2004 08:44:00 AM