Interface

Think about a certain digital device or software interface that you use on a regular basis and discuss how you look through it (its transparency) and how you look at it (its reflective quality).

In today's world, the speed at which new technology is being produced is astounding. Everyday we hear about some device that can store more memory, or how thin the newest laptop is. Yet most people do not actually take the time to understand the "transparency" of these items. Transparency can be put in the most simplest terms as: being able to use the interface or device, easily, with out actually knowing what is going on in the back ground. As a former computer science major, I have only seen a little of what it takes to write a computer program, and it requires a certain skill set that not many possess. Such interface's and devices also have a element of reflection to them as well. This happens when there is a problem with the interface or device, which causes the user the dwelve further in their problem, looking around for solutions even though they do not actually know what is going on at a "code" level.

I frequently use a new online radio website called Grooveshark. Here I am able to basically find any of my favorite music, make playlists and save them on my profile. The interface is quite easy to understand and it provides the user with friendly hints, and even remembers what you have played recently. When thinking about the transparency of the this website, I usually just type in the song I want, not thinking about where it comes from or the intense amount of code that goes along with it. This is what makes such interfaces popular, they are easy to use and do not require much thinking. But if something were to go wrong, like a deleted playlist or the song you want isnt loading, most would look deeper into the issue, even though most of the time there is nothing we usually can do. It requires almost a different sort of user all together, the administrator or lab tech to solve the problem.