I found Bret Victor’s A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design really interesting because of how it critiques the touchscreen-focused “pictures under glass” model that limits our physical interaction with technology. This definitely changed my perspective on the direction technology is taking. Earlier, I thought that touchscreens are revolutionary and easy-to-use but I am now thinking about why we are willing to settle for such a limited interaction, devoid of the tactile feedback that has been essential to human experience for thousands of years. Shouldn’t we be designing technology that truly connects with the way we physically engage with the world?
I was also interested in Victor’s thoughts about the stagnation of interaction design. Instead of visionary advancements, we get small incremental changes that feel innovative but don’t really use the full potential of human capabilities. For example, I often find myself reading on my Kindle or jotting down notes on my iPad for the sake of convenience, even though I’m sacrificing the tactile feel of a physical book or the natural flow of writing on paper. This makes me further question: Are we sacrificing sensory richness for convenience? What would it take for the tech industry to prioritize deeper, more meaningful interactions over merely efficient or visually impressive ones? His argument has led me to reevaluate my own ideas about technology and wonder whether our devices could one day feel like a natural extension of our bodies, rather than just tools for quick tasks.