A New Interface

Abstract

The means by which humanity communicates has seen great change over the last two millennia shaping the many ways we share knowledge today. Before the written word, oral traditions allowed for communication locally. If compelling enough these vocalised thoughts would move across time through retelling and fresh interpretation. Trained storytellers and singers enabled this early aural interface. As the Roman Catholic Church grew across Europe, knowledge began to centralise. Monks labored to transcribe the Bible and other religious works while defining the page structure and layout of the written word. They created beautiful works of art through their illumination and helped to bring the written word and a new mode of knowledge sharing into the lives of those who could afford it. Unfortunately, the heavy labour of transcription meant that only a small quantity of books could be made each year. Then, in the middle of the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press formed the defining moment in Europe's search for a better mass communication interface. An invention still important today, it made quick copying and mass dissemination of information possible. It also helped to standardise page structure and typography making it possible for more people to read and comprehend the text. The printed word remains the most trusted source in today's Information Age. The connected digital environment has again broadened access and added a new element, interactivity, into the formerly static page. However, digital media has yet to see its full potential as it remains tied to the traditions and axioms of print design that came before it. A new interface, free of the strictures of print design, could have an impact not unlike Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. The term interface may have had its origins in the sciences, but today it is generally accepted as a term used to describe how a person interacts with a computer. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a system that is used for operating a computer: a system that controls the way information is shown to a computer user and the way the user is able to work with the computer" and "the means by which interaction or communication is achieved at an interface". Further, it has come to simply mean the direct interaction between people or between a person and a device when transferring information. Through this lens we can look back across history and view the printed page, the illuminated manuscript, and the conversation of the early illiterate masses as interfaces. Technology has played a large role in humanities progression through these modes of communication. Even the printed page required advances in the production of vellum, parchment, and finally paper to be fully effective. A more concise definition might look something like this: a mode of expressing or displaying thought in an organized manner through aural, visual, or interactive means in order to share knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]