Can we make the invisible visible? The more present interfaces are in our lives, the less we perceive them.
- Change the typography of your browser to a gothic blackletter. Or Dingbats (for a more advanced exercise).
- How many times do you remember you're shifting gears when driving? Speak the gear number loud every time you do it.
- Tonight write on a paper what interfaces you have used. Tomorrow score how long have you been using each. Do it every day this week.
If we bring the idea of "interface" to a larger context beyond digital platforms and see it as a touch-point where two systems interact, the same principle still applies. In design, we learnt about the concept of "ready to hand" and "present at hand". When an object/interface becomes invisible to us and fails to present the , it becomes "ready to hand". For example, when a person is looking through the glasses, they are not aware of the glasses but focuses on the things they see through glasses. When the glasses is broken, its existence suddenly becomes visible and thus becomes "present at hand". In design, "ready to hand" is always considered as desirable since it reduces the effort of users to interpret and learn about the product. However, just as what are listed in the propositions, it is sometimes very important to pull us out of this comfort zone and reflect on the interface we are using to be aware of the possible consequences. A good example would be the new feature on iPhone that notifies you how much time you spend on your phone today. With the interruption of pop-up notification, you are suddenly aware of the interface and your actions.