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Technology that taps into the intuitive
Brenda Laurel on the art of human-computer interactions
by Connie Blaszczyk
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 The list is familiar to anyone who's studied English literature: Homer's The Iliad... Melville's Moby Dick... Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey. These are a few of the classic tomes of "Western Lit 101." And what, dear student, are the primary themes of this great body of words? If you passed the course, the answer's easy: man against man (including the self), man against nature, man against the machine. Class dismissed.
"Hold on there," says a voice from the back of the room. "Isn't it time we created stories that draw us close to each other and to nature? And what about using storytelling as a way to humanize that greatest of all 20th century machines, the computer?"
The voice, albeit fictitious, echoes the concerns of interactive media designer Brenda Laurel. Since the 1970s, Laurel has brought a decidedly feminist voice to human-computer interactions in her role as technology designer, researcher and writer. In the process, she's come up with some unique paradigms. For instance, her book Computers as Theatre encourages software designers to think like playwrights rather than engineers, and to think of computers as interactive theatre instead of information machines.
Over the years, Laurel has put these theories to the test as consultant for such clients as Apple Computer, LucasArts, Sony Pictures and Paramount New Media. Her interest in gender differences led her to co-found Purple Moon, a company that specialized in creating software for pre-teen-age girls in 1996. While Purple Moon found critical success with its series of CD-ROMs, the company was later bought out by toy company Mattel. Despite the loss, Laurel remains optimistic about the future of technology. She shares that optimism in her many public speaking engagements, and in such publications as Wired and Multimedia Review.
No matter what the medium, Laurel is a voracious intellectual who always seeks to demystify technology by infusing it with the time-tested elements of storytelling, art and the intuitive. Laurel's melding of art and technology might be too heady a mix for some. But for you, ZineZone fan, it makes for a very interesting read.
Next page | "I was an oddity."
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Meet interactive media designer, Brenda Laurel in this video clip!
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Brenda Laurel
;)
