Different emotional experiences can be evoked by different mediums of interaction, such as screens and paper for drawing.
Digital tools need to cater to mobile and outdoor settings, allowing for on-the-go productivity and capturing thoughts in motion.
Software interfaces should be customizable to reflect individual preferences and contexts, similar to a home-cooked meal, creating unique and tailored experiences.
Deep dives
Exploring the Emotional Experience of Different Technical Systems
Andy and the host discuss the emotional differences between using screens and paper for drawing. Drawing on an emissive screen feels active and energizing, while using ink on paper evokes a sense of slowness and contemplation. Ink devices, despite potential distractions, still maintain a unique slowness. The importance of allowing for different emotional experiences based on the medium of interaction is highlighted.
Designing Tools for Mobile and Outdoor Use
The conversation shifts to the challenges of using digital tools in mobile and outdoor settings. The need for tools that enable working on-the-go, such as writing while walking, is discussed. The potential of using audio inputs and outputs, like audio notes and persistent audio, is mentioned as a convenient way to capture thoughts and ideas while in motion.
Personalizing Software Interfaces and Creating Specialized Software
The importance of software interfaces that reflect individual preferences and contexts is emphasized. The desire for specialized software that caters to specific needs and experiences, similar to a home-cooked meal, is discussed. The idea of flexible messaging apps or low/no-code platforms that allow high levels of customization is proposed as a way to create unique and tailored software experiences.
The Challenges of Developing Skills in Knowledge Work
Developing skills in fields like athletics and music is often more structured and easily measurable compared to knowledge work. This is because there are established methods and practices for training and teaching these skills. In contrast, knowledge work lacks clear levels of proficiency, making it difficult to assess and develop specific abilities. Unlike physical skills, which can be observed and measured externally, knowledge work is often internalized and harder to track, requiring more innovative approaches to skill development.
Dynamic Land and the Vision of Physical and Social Computing
Dynamic Land is a project that envisions a computing system that is physical, embodied, and highly social. The goal is to blur the boundary between users and creators of the system, creating a shared and malleable computing environment. This vision aims to approximate the experience of a woodshop, where users can directly interact with and understand the computational objects in their environment. By fostering collaboration and enabling real-time interaction, Dynamic Land offers a unique approach to the future of computing and programming, focusing on the social and creative aspects of technology.
Andy is a software engineer, designer, and researcher working on technologies that expand what people can think and do. In past lives he helped build iOS at Apple and led R&D at Khan Academy. Now as an independent researcher, his methods bridge the gap between academia and Silicon Valley.
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