Erik Stolterman on "Bits as Material and Thoughtful Interaction Design"

Most of us have never thought of bits as material. Instead we focus on what Erik Stolterman calls "the manifestation" of bits (in a design). Yet just as wood defines a carpenter, so do bits define an interaction designer. The similarities end there, however, because bits are different from any other "material" seen before: they can be "kept alive" forever, copied without losing anything and their value increases with greater connectivity. In fact, Stolterman advanced the idea of a "bit pool"—all the bits in the world.

How do the unique qualities of bits as material influence thoughtful interaction design? Given the malleable nature of bits, and the ever growing bit pool, Stolterman believes that the "possible design space" (possible new manifestations of bits in a design) is continually growing. It's impossible, therefore, for a designer to say a priori how he will design a particular product. At the same time, Stolterman has found that good designers know precisely why they do things a certain way; they can justify their judgments, for example, in a design rationale. Yet because good design is done "in the moment", scientific approaches (methodologies, frameworks, etc.) can only support—not define—good design.

That then begs the question: what is "good design"? According to Stolterman, judging design is like judging the quality of wine; it can only be answered for the particular wine.

While Stolterman raised as many questions as he answered, he was emphatic on one point: interaction design needs to be taken more seriously. As with architecture, industrial design and other older design disciplines, designing products in what Stolterman calls a "designerly" way requires investment.

An audio interview with Erik Stolterman on "Bits as Material and Thoughtful Interaction Design" is available in the Namahn interviews podcast section.

• ‹ previous
• 49 of 72
• next ›