Got very annoyed at the Design Council the other night. They were pitching their series of talks on ‘Humanising Technology”. Strikes me as a very odd phrase: ‘humanise technology’…
To separate and demonise ‘technology’ seems false. It’s what makes us human. It’s our evolutionary distinctiveness.
And anyway what’s so bad about technologising humans?
Would the cro-magnon Design Council be complaining about the distinctly un-apelike flint axes that the crazy stonehacker kids were coming up with, and staging talks on ‘simianising technology’???
I’m reminded of both Maeda‘s desire to explore honestly the ‘materiality’ of the digital in design, and once again, Neal Stephenson’s excellent ‘In the beginning was the command-line’ – where the he casts the ‘humanisation’ of technology via graphical user interfaces as the creation of a schizm between the technologically-adept and conversent Morlock elite and a growing group of Eloi in thrall to the GUI, living in a dreamworld they have no control or agency within over that allowed by their unseen and incomprehensible Morlock captors.
What’s the middle ground? Can we make technology, and computers easy to use while maintaining the transparancy, freedom and agency of command-line culture?
Petafloptimism 
(ok, so I saw Minority Report last night, comment may be flavored by that)
Humans and technology have always gone hand in hand. As Matt says, it is our evolutionary distinctiveness, and is what keeps us adapting our behavior and collective awareness at a faster speed than any other organism I can think of.
We already have middle ground as far as I can see. Or rather, one does not have to be conversant with technology at the same level as everyone else to be able to *use* it. Different people may use the same interface, but the technological connections going on in their head are completely different.
Example: the motor car. My dad is a typical dad and fixes pretty much 80% of the mechanical stuff on his car. He has a background in some engineering and understands the fundamentals of the design of his car. My sister is lovely but has no clue or indeed *wants to know* what is going on with her car. When things do not work as expected, she has an AA membership (and my dad for non-emergencies).
Can both of these people complete the tasks they need to with this technology? Of course. Do they consider the others technology to be fundamentally the same, and are able to use it? Of course.
Back with computers, it’s just that my dad uses the CLI and my sis uses the mouse. With extra big icons. And noises turned on.
(very biased subnote: and this is why for all its faults, MacOSX is on the right path. Just got Jaguar – it’s getting better every day)
People are distinct of each other. We can always improve our knowhow and creating new schemes but the tecnological conception will be hierarquically exposed on each human being.
Sorry to come back so late with comments. Been to Cornwall to surf for four days – can tourists keep of the waves? the whole thing looked like DisneyLand on 4th July..
Anyways, back to Humanising Technology aka “another annoying socially accepted concept that triggers Matt’s fury…
Let’s disect the insect in question. Is technology composed mainly of mathematics, physics and engeneering. Uhmm .. yes, doctor, I would say so. And why no one is talking about humanising these? Because they are innert, they are .. how can I say this .. not alive in the organic material way?
I’ll try another one: am I wrong to think that this humanisation of technology quest is similar to when our ancestors decided to tame the wild animals, tired of chasing diplodocuses and being chased by velociraptors? So here are our dogs and cats fully trained to pee in designated areas.
And how mathematics+cum+physics+cum+engineering became a,…,a live thing?
Oh, I forgot Dr Frankestein… it happened when combinations of code lines and maths came together to form the lethal caipirinha: software. Ah, that’ll be £5.50, sir. Cheers.
When technology tapped the emotional side of our right brain…. when you tell friends about your Powerbook just like Maurice Chevalier used to thank God for little girls….
… uhmm you are in trouble… technology has become a delightful creature for you…
Now you have two options: you either become that crazy Autralian Indie Jones wacko that catches poisonous snakes with his penis (I’m joking but I bet you he can when he’s off camera)aka the lovely Linux community or become the Queen and her corgies (ie. the CEO of a well-known UK supermarket who’s got sticked to his screen: “turn on here”- I swear to you, these Spanish eyes have seen this three months ago)
Humans want to tame everything that they cannot communicate with when it’s free in its natural state. Technology is a big Wildlife world. Some people love them free, wild and amazing. Others opt for a domesticated chiuahua.
AYYYYYY mamiiiiitaaaaaaa!
Humanizing Technology or Technologizing Humans?
Matt Jones posted a thought provoking entry today, Humanising Technology, or technologising humans? Got very annoyed at the Design Council…
Faites simple
This was the watchword of Escoffier and it’s surely the way all things computing have to go. Back in October, The Economist had two articles: ‘Make it simple’ and ‘Now you see it, now you don’t’. The latter was sub-titled,