Form+zweck Zeitschrift

form+zweck 22:

Tangibility of the Digital – Die Fühlbarkeit des Digitalen

©form+zweck 2008

German/English, 176 pages,

20 x 28 cm, various illustrations, thread-stitching, gatefold cover

ISSN 0429-1050

ISBN 978-3-935053-19-8

Price: 34 Euro 

The more manifold the use of computers become in everyday life, in economy and in entertainment, the more complicated the rules about how to use them becomes. Who knows all the commands that are necessary to get the best out of computer technology in order to facilitate our life? Instead, we often fail and remain frustrated.
Today, new interfaces are available that are more intuitive to use.These interfaces take the digital back to the analogue. They make the virtual palpable in real space and take the place of cumbersome programming languages as well as mouse and keyboard-based interaction. Using computers should be as easy as brushing one’s teeth, using pliers or riding a bike.
Such interaction concepts have recently been named “tangible”: Interfaces controlled by sensual touch. This field has developed at an  explosive rate in recent years.On the one hand, as sales arguments for sensually controlled multimedia devices and electronic home helpers. One the other hand, as new implications for creative professions – designers, media artists, architects, and – most notably – for engineers from various branches. The respective interfaces  are providing new means for sculptural work by employing the hands or even the whole body for creating virtual one-to-one designs.
The next steps are imminent: Tangible user interfaces which are controlled by expansive gestures and which trigger machines in a way that they work autonomously.