R1: A Handmade Web
1. What is the thesis of this article?
I believe that the thesis of this article is to emphasize the significance of having personally coded webpages as a form of creative expression. This is compared to the idea that modern society has seemed to forgotten the amount of unique work and creativity that goes into coding a webpage from scratch. The author relates the idea of “handmade” web pages being as much an artistic craft as developing a photo in a dark room. How the amount of comprehensive knowledge and skill that goes into that medium is a work of art in itself. Even the advancement of mobile phones has lessened the amount of work that goes into web design by not allowing the user to appreciate the complex code that built the site. Overall, I think the author is trying to convey the idea that with modern technology and site builders, web design is being overlooked and losing its novelty and the creative passion that is needed.
2. Carpenter describes the handmade web as a form of resistance. In your own words, what is being resisted
To build upon my last answer, I think that the handmade web is a form of resistance to the lazier and uninventive alternative which is pre-coded website-building sites such as Squarespace or Wix. While these are easy options there is a loss of originality in exchange for a corporate-like design that everyone else has. I like to see “handmade” webs as being a virtual form of expression of sticking to the man or in this case retaliating against commercialization. Besides being a form of self-expression in the digital realm, hand-coded web pages can form a sense of DIY community for any sort of niche. Whether this be a fandom, tech fanatics, or just people who love to blog, handmade webpages bring together people who appreciate the amount of creative DIY work that goes into putting a webpage together for a community or cause they are excited about. With the commercialization of webpages, you lose the sense of passion that goes into curating unique experiences for these communities.
3. Reflecting on your own experiences, what are other examples of drawing attention to the "physicality" of the web?
I was born after the era of people hand-coding personal web pages to be a representation of themselves, so I never really got an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into designing a webpage until this class. However, I do remember people learning html and code to modify tumblr pages to further their self expression for themself or the fanbase they serve. Another example of the physicality of the web that I have experienced is something as simple as QR codes. They have become a widespread resource for providing information, linking apps or websites, etc. all by scanning a tangible image in the real world and then having it link to the digital realm. I have especially seen these since COVID-19 at restaurants. It makes it a touch free and easily accessible experience for anyone to view everything the restaurant has to offer. I have also seen Spotify’s version of QR codes where the physical sound waves of the sound have become simplified. That way it's easier for people to find that song or playlist.
R2: What Screens Want
1. What is the thesis of this article?
I think the thesis of this article is the idea that screens are an abstract metaphor. The way that we interact with screens can vary from person to person either through the flat or skeuo perspective.
2. Where do you stand with the two ideological camps: flat and skeuo?
My beliefs align more with skeuo in the sense that I feel that a good portion of the population is not very imaginative. People like things to be very direct and to do so you have to imitate the real thing. However, I can also see the argument that people appreciate simplicity when it comes to function. Overly decorative logos and designs can often take away from the function itself and make the brand look too “flashy”. I personally enjoy the more skeuomorphic take on design because I think it adds another layer of complexity to try and mimic something from the real world. Mimicking the real world object into design feels like an art form or craftsmanship in itself. But maybe it’s also because I prefer maximalism over minimalism. I can understand why minimalists prefer the simplicity of flat design too.
3. What is a zoopraxiscope and how does it relate to web and interaction design? Find another example from filmmaking or another medium that has inspired digital design.
A zoopraxiscope was made by Eadweard Muybridge and is a glass disc with images that were taken with a high speed camera of the time. These cameras could take consecutive photos within seconds. Then they are added to this glass disc and projected from behind while it simultaneously spins, creating a gif like effect. Muybridge’s creation relates to the web and interaction design by introducing society to the familiar glow of display screens. I think a possible example of a medium that has inspired digital design is maybe VR. I say this because it reminds me skeuo and how people must design VR with imitation in mind to make a 3d element within the display. Now skeuomorphism can be designed in the context of making it real world size too. VR is even designed to sometimes imitate how we function with that element as well. For example, if you switch a light in VR it may even look just like a light switch but you may even have to imitate the up and down hand movement to trigger it.
R3: Interface and Interpolations
1. How does Drucker define the term "interface"? How about the process of designing interfaces? What is her opinion of interface design processes as they are generally handled today?
Drucker defines the term “interface” as a space between human users and procedures that occur based on protocols or signals given to the computer. She also defines the structure of the interface as information. However, she dives much deeper into that saying that the structure of interface is just a space of action where it is told to do based on the signals. She describes the process of designing interfaces as psychoanalytical and has a deep-rooted humanistic approach. Drucker believes that the computational system is a symbolic space of our actions and behaviors in a digital form. She calls it the provocation to cognitive experience because of the way we interact with it and how the interface interacts with us in our daily lives.
2. What is Drucker's notion of "Humanistic Design"?
It seems that Drucker’s notion of Humanistic Design is that it can vary based on the user. Rather than going on research or empirical evidence (which they have quoted) it leans towards an approach that is a little bit more subjective. By this I mean it’s based on the humanistic approach in regard to basing interface design on human behavior, yet it feels like Drucker’s notion is more of a personalized approach based on different behaviors. Everything is based on perception especially when it comes to the user experience. To summarize Drucker’s notion in my own words, she believes that since our experience of the world around us is so versatile, it manifests in infinite interface responses that support different, yet common behaviors. Our perceptions mold our behaviors and are not an accurate representation of the real world. She eventually goes on to relate this to the idea of “real time” that we project onto computer interfaces in relation to their refresh timing. She also says that this time is not real and the units of time are merely a metric we have created through our own perception since humans aren’t capable of perceiving the delay.
3. As a process, what factors do you feel are central to the design of interfaces that are missing from this article?
I believe that a central aspect of designing interfaces is the concept of accessibility. It is crucial as
designers to empathize with someone who may struggle with certain daily tasks and how we can make interfaces
easy for them to use. It is often overlooked since many of these disabilities can be ones that aren’t even
visible. A common example of the design process that supports accessibility is color and contrast. You often
want a 4.5:1 color contrast ratio for normal text. This will greatly help people who are color blind or have
vision impairments.
Another great example of accessible user interface design is utilizing screen reader software with your
interface. This specifically helps people who are visually impaired or blind and use assistive devices.
However, when using a screen reader you must also take into account the content too. That means organizing and
prioritizing content, creating accurate alt text, and avoiding hidden navigation elements.
R4: Database as Symbolic Form
1. How does Manovich see the opposition between database and narrative? Manovich talks about computer games as a form of Interactive Narrative. Can you speculate on other forms of interactive narratives (in our culture or imagined) that aren't computer games?
Manovich sees the opposition between database and narrative as different ways of presenting information to the user. The biggest difference is that the database is delivered in a non-linear structure. Meanwhile, narrative is presented in a linear structure that is crucial to the user experience and the story telling aspect that plays into the narrative. He also states that databases correspond to the data structure, in comparison to algorithms strictly following an algorithm. An analog version that makes me think of this is those choose your own adventure story books. They remind me of this because they are similar to a game but are a non traditional way of storytelling. They had many different paths you could take with the user in full control of their journey throughout the experience. A digital version of that could be like interactive Netflix shows like the Black Mirror: Bander Snatch episode.
2. Database as Symbolic Form was written 19 years ago now. What has changed? What hasn't changed? Did Manovich's predictions come true?
The biggest change since this article was written was the technological advancements of databases. Now databases have much more processing power and may not even be tangible objects like CDs but rather a cloud storage. User Interaction has drastically changed with social media. This enables users to contribute to the creation of distribution of this digital data as well. However, linear narratives are still a concept that remains a staple in our culture. Interactive and non-linear storytelling has gained popularity, movies and books are still a part of our mainstream culture. Manovich’s prediction of the dominance of the database became more accurate than ever now. Everything we own is stored on the cloud with major companies controlling this data with their clouds. His prediction of “algorithmic culture” became true through things like social media, streaming, and dating apps. Our everyday activities can be evolved around this algorithmic culture and how we virtually interact with others.
3. Can you draw a connection between Manovich's ideas and your plan for your final project?
Relating to Manovich’s idea of semiotics and databases, I also want to use visual symbols to represent the web pages that I created. For my index, I hope to use everyday objects and personal knick knacks to represent not only my work, but me as an overall designer and person. Similarly, I want to encapsulate his notion that the connections between data points contribute to the overall semiotic structure of the database. The goal of curating these items is to create an overall aesthetic. I want it to look like a purse spilled and all its items tell a story about the owner. I also want the user interaction to be creative and incorporate a narrative into it. I am a big fan of storytelling so I think this could be a great opportunity to have the user interact with my site in an engaging way that also makes them have to think a little bit about what each item symbolizes.
R5: My website is a shifting house next to a river of knowledge
1. Why does Laurel Schwulst advocate for individual websites over social media? Do you agree with her? Please explain your answer.
Schwulst advocates for individual websites over social media because it allows the user behind the screen to have more agency. With a hand-coded website the user can have full control of the content and how that information is presented to the world. Compared to social media, websites allow the user to have full creative control of how they want to express themselves. Social media platforms typically do not have the user in mind other than to shove advertisements in your face. I agree with her because I like that she describes a website as being an infinite amount of possibilities and interpretations. I like having my own personal website so I can express myself through intentional interactions that others have with my site. For example, my index will be a plethora of scanned items from my home. These items are symbolic of the creative projects I coded in class and I put a lot of thought into how the user may have to step into my brain in order to correlate the objects with the corresponding project. The user experience that plays into the interaction of my site can share a lot more about my creative thought process, than an Instagram post could ever show. When I am able to be the author and architect of how I want to virtually personify myself I can design endless variations of how I want the user to perceive me, rather than be restricted to the same cookie-cutter interface that everybody uses.
2. In this article, Schwulst outlines several metaphors defining the behaviour of websites. Write a paragraph describing your own metaphor for a website. Put that text into its own simple website designed to extend that comparison. Upload it to your Github server and post the link here.
Just like a website an artist’s canvas is endless possibilities of ways to express themself. Each brush stroke is an intentional organization of information with the idea of visual hierarchy and flow as a priority. Every different color is the unique content that makes up the website. A conglomeration of vibrant colors illustrates the tone that the content is trying to convey. The thoughtful control of the brush’s linewidth is the amount of content that the creator wants to show the viewer. Just like a canvas, the webpage is as limitless as the imagination. Overall, these features paint a collective representation of how the creator wants to share and structure their vision.
R5 Website