The Best Interface is No Interface

       There's this idea of there being too much technology in the modern world that most people are aware of. Not everyone obviously agrees with this idea, and I can't pinpoint when I first became aware of this idea. But we all kind of know that somewhere in the world someone is ranting on the internet about this matter. Personally, I understood the sentiment but also recognized the progress in quality of life that digital technology offers. That being said, I really enjoyed Golden Krishna's talk at SXSW as he found a way to express frustrations with technology, while keeping in the mind its vast potential. His primary thesis revolves around the phrase, "the best interface is no interface," a statement of his that has now become a book. He finds issue with the endless number of screens, or interfaces in our lives, and with the fact that user interface has become synonymous for user experience for some. To make a product or service better has now become to include a screen to it. This idea perfectly encapsulated the sentiment of too much technology (meaning too many screens) in conjunction with the potential of technology. His focus was on the designing technology that catered to humans and not to computers. He identifies that creative design now has become to add a screen to pretty much everything. From refrigerators to cars and even children's toilets, there are screens and apps to supposedly improve every experience. Obviously, we need to be able to check our twitter feed on the dashboard of our car instead of just focusing on the speed. His ideas follow closely with the ideas value sensitive design. We have to figure out what we value and design technologies to cater to those values. He refers to a statement by Donald Norman who in 1990 said, “The real problem with the interface is that it is an interface. Interfaces get in the way. I don’t want to focus my energies on an interface. I want to focus on the job…I don’t want to think of myself as using a computer, I want to think of myself as doing my job.” For Norman, interfaces seem to take out the value of actually accomplishing the task by creating separations between the user and the task.
        I found myself agreeing with all of Krishna’s points on screen focused design. He broke down how to shift this current route of thinking by focusing on three principles. As I heard more of his speech, the focal point that should be considered in new solutions and creative technologies is to value humans, to value the user and not the computer. For example, he brings up how there are apps to unlock your car door. However, the processes behind using the app caters to how apps in general work instead of actually improving the experience of opening the car door for the user. Does he conclude that the best way to open your car door is to just simply use your keys and call it a day? No, not at all. He points to how Mercedes designed a car that could sense if the car key was nearby and then open the door. This design caters to the user; it uses technology to improve the experience. There’s no extra hassle of dealing with another tool or screen, instead the intuitive design makes it easier to open car doors. The creative solution that technology enables makes the process better, not adding a screen to the process.
         I really enjoyed reading and hearing what Krishna has to say about interfaces and how using less of them can lead to higher rates of returns in many ways for us as users. His idea isn’t revolutionary; he even makes note of that, but this method of conveying what he is passionate about as a designer is extremely accessible to the audience, including people like me who might not take two seconds to consider this design problem that exists today.
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