Assignment for Thursday

Our next assignment will focus on online interfaces. Please read the following 2 articles:

Eat Me, Drink Me, Push Me: In which the subtle arts of the interface are examined.

The Politics of the Interface:Power and Its Exercise in Electronic Contact Zones

Much of the last article is geared towards teachers of writing although, there are a few sections that reallly interrogate how interfaces function and what they represent. So, read those sections:
--Mapping the Interface of Computers as Educational Space
--Interfaces as Maps of Capitalism and Class Privilege
--Interfaces as Maps of Discursive Privilege

"Within the virtual space represented by these interfaces, and elsewhere within computer systems, the values of our culture--ideological, political, economic, educational--are mapped both implicitly and explicitly... interfaces are cultural maps of computer systems" (Selfe & Selfe, p. 485).

Then, move on to the next part of the assignment:

Launch an application that you use regularly and examine the interface. Think about the following:

* Based on the initial interface, what are a few things the software expects you to do?
* Identify a few icons or symbols that are conventional across interfaces
* Identify a few icons or symbols that are not conventional across interfaces ( are unique and/or proprietary)

Create a list:
* What would you change about this interface?
* What would you customize?
* What functions or features would you add?

Blog on the articles and your reactions and/or what you have discovered from the exercise.