1. What is the thesis of this article? I believe the thesis of Carpenter’s article centres around voicing concerns about the lack of interactiveness of web pages created nowadays due to mass commercialization, loss of identity and ownership, handheld devices and proprietary tools. He wants to shine light on the importance of “handmade web”, which refers to preserving the once lively and engaging web internet in the early days of the web; highly personalised designs, slowness, experimental, and dramatic interactive elements. For this reason, he encourages his viewers to do the same and turn this into a method of resisting.
The main arguments in his article is to voice his opinions on the preservation of highly experimental, creative and hand-coded personal web projects, the mass commercialized published online platforms and the cons of hand-held devices. The “so what” statement of his thesis would be that; by creating a more personal and experiential web, it could be used as a form of resistance to the over-commercialised web, proprietary applications, and read-only devices.
2. Carpenter describes the handmade web as a form of resistance. In your own words, what is being resisted? After analysing Carpenter’s article, I believe the handmade web is a form of resistance to loss of identity and ownership, handheld devices, proprietary tools, and commercialization of the modern web pages and policies we know today. Creating and pushing out more smaller-scale interactive and personal webs, will allow users to reconnect with the "physicality" of the web we used to have around. Examples of this could be the slowness, experimental, personalization, connections and interactiveness of web pages. The first and main aspect Carpenter wanted to stand against is the loss of individual ownership of web pages we make. Most of them are now created by large corporations and businesses. Moreover, the internet as a whole is only controlled and overthrown by those few major platforms. There is little creative freedom and artistry allowed as well. Instead, I believe we should shine a light on the creative web pages that are hand-coded and maintained by the individuals themselves.
Secondly, Carpenter resisted the loss of identity due to individuals only being able to host their personality and interests on a few larger platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In the early days of the web, individuals were able to express themselves freely without the constraints of the 3-grid posting feeds of many social media platforms. A lot of them hand-coded and self-published these websites and had 100% ownership.
Lastly, the author wanted to resist the proprietary tools that many corporations and commercialised platforms are required to use to create their web pages. I believe Carpenter wanted to emphasise going back to the roots; in the early days of the internet, where coders were granted complete openness and freedom to express exactly what they felt was appropriate in terms of interactives. They were driven by curiosity and thrived to create platforms that were more intimate.
3. Reflecting on your own experiences, what are other examples of drawing attention to the "physicality" of the web?
After reflecting on my own experience, I think a smaller-scale page called Draw a Stickman would be a good example of a website that explores the "physicality" of the web. It basically asks you to draw a low-fi stick figure of your choice and it would automatically turn your drawing into a moving and interactive character. Based on the sticky figure you drew, it turns it into a main character of a story and you get to watch and interact with it.
Web link: https://drawastickman.com/Links
Another great example would be Chrome Music Lab! This is a kids-friendly website that allows users to explore music and sounds by engaging in interactive experiments. You get to click on the keys to make sounds, draw random lines to create different tones, you can drag strings and type to make funny noises. I introduced this to my brother and he loved how interactive it was. I think it's a great way for kids to learn about music notes through web-based tools like such.
Web Link: https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Links
R2: What Screens Want
1. What is the thesis of this article? The thesis that revolves around Frank Chimero’s article, What Screens Want, is the question about what it means to design natively for screens. He explains that just like how the evolution of the aspirin pill became smaller and smaller, the computer screen we use today also has shrunk and become more advanced technology. In order for us to catch up to this ever-evolving screen-centric world, Chimero believed that by understanding the current trends, ideological camps and user experience, we can help us further enhance our designs.
Chimero started off by explaining that screens are not just merely for displaying information, commercial use and aesthetics, but rather it is a dynamic medium with unique characteristics. It can provide users with meaningful interactions and digital experiences. By acknowledging that screens are like “grain” and understanding the concept of “flux”, we can manage change and design interfaces that work well with screens.
Moreover, the author also argued about how the debate of the ideological camps of flat and so shouldn’t be the most relevant topic in designing for digital screens. Instead, we should focus on the actual functionality of the interactions and usability. We must understand that we design for user needs and wants, not aesthetics.
Lastly, Chimero felt that the web nowadays focuses solely on commercialization, privatization and surveillance. He advocates for a new and improved digital landscape where we refocus on generating a more cohesive and positive community online. We can only achieve this by recognizing the issues of our current trends.
2. Where do you stand with the two ideological camps: flat and keto? Chimero introduced two ideological camps in digital screen designs; flat and skeuomorphism. Flat designs refer to the two-dimensional aesthetic and departures from heavy shadows and the harsh gradient effect. Whereas, skeuo on the other hand likes to mimic real-world objects, materials and textures. It focuses on making the users understand the icons or elements better because it resemble a lot of real-life objects. However, Chimero believes that neither of these two designs only cares about aesthetics, rather than the functionality and accessibility of the interface. Furthermore, they failed to address questions about the user’s experience.
I think between flat and keto, I would choose a flat design because as a minimalistic and user experience (UX) designer I would definitely select the interfaces that are simpler and cleaner. White space is super important to me, so the harsh shadow around empty spaces in skeuomorphism really throws me off. It’s also off-putting that some elements are hyper-retracts while other UI elements are simply solid in colour. Lastly, I feel like I associate skeuo with the early days of the web and it reminds me of the older iso version. I think that’s why flat design seems more modern to me.
3. What is a zoopraxiscope and how does it relate to web and interaction design? Find another example from filmmaking or another medium that has inspired digital design.
In Chimero’s article, he explains that zoopraxiscope is a tool that is used in animation to display and project looping animals in motion. This action of consistent looping gives the viewer the impression that the images are moving, just like videos. Interestingly, Chimero is able to make connections between the zoopraxiscope and web and interaction design. He believed that zoopraxiscope and digital screens are both mediums that can be used for interactions and UI designs.
Another medium that has inspired digital design is the Bauhaus movement that arose in early 20th century Germany. Its goal of creating a clean, minimalistic and functional grid layout gave the digital design a blueprint to work with. The Bauhaus emphasise removing unnecessary elements to opt out for a simpler and clean look, also known as “white spaces”. This translates to the user interface (UI) style of design we know today. This is due to the fact that minimalist style allows the users to focus on the content that they need without unnecessary distractions. Lastly, the Bauhaus movement designers also believed that design can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time. Digital web and mobile designs in UX focus on creating an experience that matches their user' needs and wants. Therefore, it is important to recognize that creating a layout system that is easy to use is extremely important.
R3: Interface and Interpretation
1. How does Drucker define the term "interface"? How about the process of designing interfaces? What is her opinion of interface design processes as they are generally handled today? Through the chapter, “Interface and Interpretation”, Drucker describes the term “interface” as the meeting ground between the interaction between humans and technology. It is where information is given and received. As designers, we need to ensure that the interface should be simple and easy to understand and navigate to the user. However, the author isn’t exactly happy about how designers deal with the experiences of the digital interfaces. Drucker feels like the interfaces we know today are only made to be efficient and aesthetic looking, rather than focusing on the user-centricity aspect of the interfaces. She believes that we need to dig deeper to understand the behaviour of users and how users (human) would navigate the digital world. Furthermore, we don’t ask enough questions about how users think, feel and wants.
The main arguments in his article is to voice his opinions on the preservation of highly experimental, creative and hand-coded personal web projects, the mass commercialized published online platforms and the cons of hand-held devices. The “so what” statement of his thesis would be that; by creating a more personal and experiential web, it could be used as a form of resistance to the over-commercialised web, proprietary applications, and read-only devices.
2. What is the thesis of this article? The thesis that revolves around Frank Chimero’s article, What Screens Want, is the question about what it means to design natively for screens. He explains that just like how the evolution of the aspirin pill became smaller and smaller, the computer screen we use today also has shrunk and become more advanced technology. In order for us to catch up to this ever-evolving screen-centric world, Chimero believed that by understanding the current trends, ideological camps and user experience, we can help us further enhance our designs.
Chimero started off by explaining that screens are not just merely for displaying information, commercial use and aesthetics, but rather it is a dynamic medium with unique characteristics. It can provide users with meaningful interactions and digital experiences. By acknowledging that screens are like “grain” and understanding the concept of “flux”, we can manage change and design interfaces that work well with screens.
Moreover, the author also argued about how the debate of the ideological camps of flat and so shouldn’t be the most relevant topic in designing for digital screens. Instead, we should focus on the actual functionality of the interactions and usability. We must understand that we design for user needs and wants, not aesthetics.
Lastly, Chimero felt that the web nowadays focuses solely on commercialization, privatization and surveillance. He advocates for a new and improved digital landscape where we refocus on generating a more cohesive and positive community online. We can only achieve this by recognizing the issues of our current trends.
R4: Database as Symbolic Form
1. How does Manovich see the opposition between database and narrative? Manovich talks about computer games as a form of Interactive Narrative. Can you speculate on other forms of interactive narratives (in our culture or imagined) that aren't computer games?
Through the Database as a Symbolic Form, Manovich sees the opposition between the database and the narrative. He defines a database as a core platform that manages, stores, organises and structures data and information. Whereas, narrative is linking elements from a database in a linear method. It is similar to watching a film or navigating through a story, there’s a beginning. middle and end. However, incorporating these 2 elements together “Database narrative” according to Manovich can result in examples such as computer games. I think other forms of narrative can be interactive museums, galleries, and documentaries. Users can explore historical and current events, different time periods, famous works and more through a database that stores all of this information and content. They could view all types of materials in the form of a video, images, slides and other interactive games. Speaking of learning, digital educational experiences can also be a form of “database narrative”. Students can learn English, maths, design and sciences through interactive data, visuals and simulations. It can be fun, with all kinds of sounds and interactive elements embedded into it, as opposed to the traditional method of students watching the teacher teach. They get to experience the learn-by-doing method on the spot! Lastly, VR tours can also be a “database narrative”. It can be tours of a city or interior spaces. Architectural development agencies can utilise this to show customers the spaces as close to real-life to physical spaces as possible.
2. Database as Symbolic Form was written 19 years ago now. What has changed? What hasn't changed? Did Manovich's predictions come true? For the past 19 years, the digital space has certainly changed a lot and it has been deeply integrated into our lives ever since. In terms of things that were predicted to be true, the database has become a core aspect of the digital space. With the growth of social media platforms, data analytics systems, and algorithms, its value has even intensified. Another prediction that came true was the integration between the digital and art cultures. The art world today has integrated databases into how they showcase their works, such as interactive digital platforms and artworks.
As for things that Manovich didn’t predict was the advancement of AI and AR technology. AI technology especially has been very accessible and the norm most recently. We now have AI to help us write articles, and generate images, user interface and artworks. Based on the prompt you give, AI can source through all the information from its database to answer questions for you. The same goes for AR, it allows users to interact and fully immerse themselves in the digital world. When the article was written, these two technologies were not prominent. Manovich has been made aware that this was even an option. Another thing that Manovich didn’t take into consideration in his predictions was privacy and ethical issues. Regulations and laws have been made in recent years to protect users’ personal information and data due to the ongoing issues with companies secretly selling and wrongly such data.
3. Can you draw a connection between Manovich's ideas and your plan for your final project?
For our final project, we’re asked to create a personal portfolio website that showcases all of the reading responses, exercises and projects we’ve completed for the past semester. I hope to create a website that provides an interactive and even educational experience for the users. I hope users can learn something new from my experience as a newbie to coding. For example, tips and tricks I used or trial and error I encountered during coding. I want the users to be able to immerse themselves into my portfolio and have the chance to choose their path and shape their experience however they desire - very similar to the interactive narrative that Manovich talked about in his Database as a Symbolic Form article. I’m very inspired by one of the past works created by previous students that Peter showed in class. It was the one where the users had to input a code in the “vending machine” full of project, exercise and reading response options. From there on, users can choose which assignments they want to view first. Similarly, I want my portfolio to also give users the option to browse my assignments in a non-linear method.
R5: My website is a shifting house next to a river of knowledge
1. Why does Laurel Schwulst advocate for individual websites over social media? Do you agree with her? Please explain your answer. In Laurel Schwulst’s article, she stated clearly that she chooses individual websites over social media due to its endless creative possibilities and commercialised free platform. The author felt like social media platforms prioritise ads, sponsorships and shopping, this can be found in Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest. It’s evident that all their intentions are to make money which is understandable because, at the end of the day, they are a business. Moreover, Laurel felt like this overpopulated platform would not allow users to truly express their happiness and desires on their personal page. Personal websites, on the other hand, will allow users to freely express themselves however they like. No pre-set 3 by-3 feed grid or any other restrictions, you get to decide on the user interface and content. This no-constraints platform will also give users an opportunity to contribute, inspiring the future of the web.
All in all, I understand Laurel’s perspective and why she advocates so greatly on her personal website. However, when it comes to self-expression online, I do prefer methods where it’s easy and convenient. I’ve used WIX, where I don’t need to code and also have coded many websites by hand in the past. I find both of these methods to be time-consuming and a lot of work because when it comes to designing for websites, you need to consider the user experience, making sure it’s responsive to mobile & web, updating the code frequently or if you’re using platforms like WIX, you need to pay a monthly fee. When I want to post something, I like to do it with a click of a button, or when I want to connect with others, it’s just as simple. Everything is on one platform. If you want to search for other websites, you need to know the exact URL or else it’s hard to look for new personal web pages you want to explore. I think as a rookie coder, I do prefer to use social media to express myself as opposed to individual websites.
2. In this article, Schwulst outlines several metaphors defining the behaviour of websites. Write a paragraph describing your own metaphor for a website. Put that text into its own simple website designed to extend that comparison. Upload it to your Github server and post the link here. Websites are like a blank canvas, the canvas is your oyster. I envision new websites as a white, clear and empty space. Opening a blank website is like opening a fresh new canvas. Setting up your canvas, the isle and paint supplies is like setting up your html, css and javascript file. You ,as an artist, have the opportunity to give this empty website a narrative, a function and a purpose. You get to decide it’s fate. You get the freedom to blend things together, create elements, add content, play with colour and decide how your audience can interact with the art. It could be 2D or 3D. It could just be for looking or it allows the audience to interact with it as well. You’re building this from scratch. If you don’t like what you've done, paint over it, start over again. It doesn't always have to be completed, you can always come back to it.
Web link: https://christy8890.github.io/imw-2023/exercises/r5/r5.htmlLinks
