“ Digital cameras produce a reassuringly retro but artificial shutter snap when you push the button to take a photograph; cellphones have keyboards with layouts originally meant to keep typewriters from jamming; and blue jeans have pockets that are a throwback to a time when watches dangled from chains.”
Joshua Brustein considers the Kindle’s ‘pages.’
Last week I was discussing how these cues from past functions aren’t useless at all: they provide context for us to understand something completely new.
The iPod is a great example of this technique. Prior to it, MP3 players used file structures to navigate their contents. Rather than browse by artist or album, you navigated through the ROOT folder. The iPod used artists, albums, and featured buttons mostly cribbed from low-end Walkmen of the day. Thanks to this, your grandmother could pick up the device and figure it out in relatively short order. (Via NYTimes.com)
Source: The New York Times
9 notesShowHide
-
emmaline-tsakonas liked this
-
chance-delaroca liked this
-
ulysses-morgner liked this
-
leopoldo-goings liked this
-
benkraal liked this
-
berezina liked this
-
mayde liked this
-
david liked this
-
dbreunig posted this
