Reading Response 2- Tiernan Shank

            Comparing theater with digital interfaces shows how computers are just another way our lives can be separated from reality. The author explains this phenomenon as “a representation that is not the same as real life but which has real world effects or consequences.” When computers were progressing in the ‘70s and ‘80s Apple made it their goal to create an interface design that was graphically appealing but also practical. The release of the Macintosh in 1984 resembled more of a Hollywood movie than an electronic.

Moving “behind the scenes” or to the actual mechanics of the computer the human can experience what it is like to see a theatrical production. The audience “is an indispensable ingredient of the representation, since it is only through a person’s actions that all dimensions of the representation can be manifest” (Laurel 2). The only aspect separating the audience, or human, controlling the computer is the illusion on the screen.

            In general it seems that computer interfaces are theatrical in the way they “attempt to represent something that might go on” (Laurel 6). It is the job of the interface designer to predict how the “human” will use the computer. The author uses the metaphor of a theatrical scene designer as a way to show that the role of the graphic designer is to provide context about “the nature of activity that they support” (Laurel 10). 

            Overall, I agree with Dr. Donald A. Norman whose perspective is how “the design of an effective interface must begin with an analysis of what a person is trying to do” (Laurel 7). Technology companies have to think of practical ways to interfold design with actions. Steve Jobs wanted to make the Macintosh something similar to a household appliance—a toaster to be exact. Now designers work to establish a common ground, similar to human interactions or conversation.