User Interface

Over the course of the last few weeks, as I’ve started to really pull the media together one of the toughest processes has been the design of the fictional user interface. My film is, in a sense, about the future involvement and outcomes of a hybrid system. It will imply to the viewer that we are experiencing this film from someone’s personal perspective. In order to get this across, the system which will ultimately breakdown and fail should be seen to be “operated”. The way I have chosen to do this is through a visible user interface.
This could have been shown as a windows or mac os type system but it is logical that future, immersive systems would look significantly different. However somethings I felt should remain such as welcome or loading screens, so we as the audience or we as the “hyprethetical” fictional user, know that we’re entering into a virtual/digital world. Other data I wanted to show was information about the personnel on screen in front of us so we know it is personal. Also I wanted to show a data log –  from the computer’s perspective – a technical script of porgress and errors as it begins to fail. (This will be the subject of another blog post)
These systems could be voice sensitive or even thought sensitive. I decided that by showing just the outcomes of decisions, so small bits of computer texts or camera movements the input process wouldn’t need to be declared, we just know what decision has been made i.e going to see family (or in this case what’s left of their conciousness…)
The look and feel of the mentioned interface has been a small issue. Initially I wanted it to be sleek, futuristic in accordance with what would usually be imagined of the future. But as I’ve worked through this more I’ve been feeling that some simple, more text based might be more effective. As seen in many visions of the future from the 80’s and older! Although restricted then by what technology would allow them to display, there is a certain effectiveness in the numbers and dialogue that, for example, scroll down the Terminators eye piece! This also doesn’t have so many deceptions, doesn’t deter from the content or fro what it is actually meant to be – just data.
Anyway it is still a slightly ongoing process which I’m trying to wring out. Likelihood is I’m going to use simple text mainly but the welcome screen for the system will have a certain sheen to it, this will help offset and contrast with what the degredation leaves at the end.