Theater
Brenda Laurel takes this one step further; a computer programmer with a background in the theater arts, she posits that the whole human-computer interface issue should be built upon theatrical principals.A jumping-off point for this thesis is found in the University of Maryland's Ben Schneiderman and his concept of Direct Manipulation, propounded in the late eighties. Direct Manipulation provides for:
- Continuous representation of the object of interest;
- Physical actions or labeled button presses instead of complex syntax;
- Rapid, incremental, reversible operations whose impact on the object of interest is immediately visible. (Laurel, 8)
This clearly describes the Macintosh Graphical Users Interface (GUI) and Windows, both of which were breakthrough interface concepts compared to DOS and Unix.
Laurel sees the graphic designer functioning as a theatrical scene designer, using line, shadow, color and texture, desktops, file folders, and windows to provide cues about what kind of activity is involved.
Concepts of interface have changed as computer development has
moved toward making computers more accessible. Laurel outlines
three basic interface concepts. (1) denotes a "Pre-cognitive
view" of human-computer interface. (2) shows a "simple model of
the interface, circa 1989...joins human and computer, conforming
to the needs of each." (ibid, 14). (3) expresses the concept that
"representation is all there is. Triangles represent agents of
either human or computer-generated types, and the other shapes
are objects in the virtual environment. The shape of the 'stage'
is oval, like the beam of a spotlight, to suggest that all that
matters is what is 'illuminated'" (ibid, 18)
Laurel then applies the Aristotelian model for drama, the Six Qualitative Elements of Structure, (Action, Character, Thought, Language, Melody/Pattern and Spectacle/Enactment) to interface design. She compares them, as they are employed, to drama and human-computer activity. For example, Action in drama includes "the whole action being represented. The action is theoretically the same in every performance." For human-computer activity, it is "the whole action, as it is collaboratively shaped by system and user. The action may vary in each interactive session." For Melody/Pattern for the drama, she finds "Everything that is heard, but especially the melody of speech." And in human- computer activity, "The pleasurable perception of pattern in sensory phenomena." (ibid, 50)
Computer users are very cognizant of the difference between working with lines of program and code, and the intuitively pleasing GUI approaches; this difference is why the Macintosh computer took off, and why Microsoft spent millions trying to develop a GUI of its own. But how does this design concept relate to virtual reality?
Laurel cites John Walker, the founder of Autodesk, with this view of the promise of VR:
Now we're at the threshold of the next revolution in user-computer interaction: a technology that will take the user through the screen into the world 'inside' the computer--a world in which the user can interact with three-dimensional objects whose fidelity will grow as computing power increases and display technology progresses. This virtual world can be whatever the designer makes it. As designers and users explore entirely new experiences and modes of interaction, they will be jointly defining the next generation of user interaction with computers. (ibid, 186)
For VR, Laurel notes:
Yes, I can do anything in a virtual world, but how does the world respond? ...The notion of virtual reality is a continuum that is older even than science fiction. Enactments around prehistoric campfires, Greek theatre, and performance rituals of aboriginal people the world over are all aimed at the same goal: heightened experience through multisensory representation....What we have in today's virtual-reality systems is the confluence of three very powerful enactment capabilities: sensory immersion, remote presence, and tele-operations. These capabilities do indeed hold enormous promise, but they will not make the central challenge go away--that is, designing and orchestrating action in virtual worlds. (ibid, 188)
Laurel feels, as do I, that the richness of the experience will legislate what VR will become. If, as some fear, it becomes "...a high-tech delivery vehicle for violence, pornography and advertising" (Kershner, 65) rather than a "magic circle," a "magical meeting place...where all that one does has heightened significance...the meaning of the ordinary is transformed..." (Laurel, 197), then the incredible potential of VR will fail of its promise.
"Like every qualitatively new human capability before it, the ability to represent new worlds in which humans can learn, explore, and act will blow a hole in all our old imaginings and expectations. Through that hole we can glimpse a world of which both cause and effect are a quantum leap in human evolution." (Laurel, 198)
Use!
The technical and scientific uses to which the medium is currently being put are pragmatic and straightforward; there is information to be imparted, and the user is there to gather it, whether it is the position of a tumor, the shape of a molecule, or a schematic of a machine. And training simulations have been the proving ground for equipment and software since the medium's conception.A doctor reports a virtual gall bladder operation, "working with cartoon-level graphics" (Jenish & Dolphin, 44) but with all the elements there. A demolished French abbey has been recreated from archeological records and is available for tours. (Dorozynski, 544) Architects and designers can take you on a virtual trip through as yet unbuilt edifices where you can even open and close doors.