2.2- Communication Technologies in the movie 'Her'

In the movie 'Her', the technologies were used to narrate the fragile relationships between humans. From what I observed, only an earpiece and a small device that looks like a vintage cigarette case to show images or video are seen to be always carried around by Theodore (the main character). They mainly operate on voice command that allows characters to send emails, book a restaurant or make a call. Desktops in the movie are pretty much similar to what we have now but without the mouse and keyboard because they are controlled by touch and voice recognition. Video games are also holographic. A single operating system seems to power all the devices from earpiece, work desktop, home desktop and video game (the holographic avatar can see images from email & can communicate with the operating system Samantha). Although Samantha is an operating system based on algorithms, it is so advanced that it is like a virtual human being with emotions. It never delivers any Siri-level answers that give itself away as a programmed system.

  

 (Her, 2013)

Snippet from 'Her' that shows the operating system that links all devices

“The ideas behind the design were that we were trying to create a world where everything felt warm, and comfortable, easy, accessible, but even in a world where you seemingly have everything you’d want, there’s still loneliness and longing and the need to connect. That seems like a particularly contemporary form of melancholy,” (Walker, A. and McFetridge, G. 2014)


Some interesting point of view on the technologies in 'Her' by columnist Kyle Vanhemert from Wired:

• Technology is invisible in this movie because it has dissolved into daily lives. Theodore still sits at a desktop computer at work, but otherwise he rarely has his face in a screen.
• Technology is there but not there because it is more people-centric. The people seem to have accepted that technology is not an end in itself– that it is the real world that is supposed to be in touch with.
• Can our current technology be considered as advance? In Theodore's house, lights turn on and off as he moves from room to room without the use of app or control panel attached somewhere. Our current technology(smartphone) requires too much attention that hinders us to be free. (Vanhemert, K. 2014)

Graphic Design in the User Interface：

At first I thought IMD would be more relevant in designing user interface and graphic design is pretty obsolete in the world of augmented reality. But the interview with graphic designer, Geoff McFetridge who designed the hand-writing application Theodore uses to write letters, the subway map he passes by and the logos and packaging for the operating system changes my whole perspective. He did not have experience designing user interfaces but he started with an idea rather than an aesthetic just as how Spike Jonze (director) emphasized the operating system should be about user experience rather than decorative. He is more suggestive on flat design than skeuomorphic design that Apple once used to hold on to. Skeuomorphism is the design concept of making items represented resemble their real-world counterparts. Skeuomorphism is commonly used in many design fields, including user interface (UI) and Web design, architecture, ceramics and interior design. (TechTarget.com, 2013)

 

(Carr, A. 2012)

An example of skeuomorphic interface.

 

(Walker, A. 2014) 
One of the icons McFetridge designed for 'Her'.

He looked at monitors as a frame and the interface within it as a work of art. The columns of color indicate hierarchy, prompting the priority task to the center.

 

(Walker, A. 2014)

The reason he used handwritten typefaces on certain parts is not only because of his style that is gravitated towards the hand-drawn, but also to align with the overall objectives for the movie's look as the production was a highly tactile near-future, with wood-grain monitors and textured walls, according to the command by Jonze. (Walker, A. and McFetridge, G. 2014)

References:

Her, (2013). [film] America: Spike Jonze.

Walker, A. and McFetridge, G. (2014) An Interview With Geoff McFetridge On The Interfaces From Her.

Vanhemert, K. (2014). Why Will Her Dominate UI Design Even More Than Minority Report. [online] Wired. Available at: http://www.wired.com/2014/01/will-influential-ui-design-minority-report/ [Accessed 26 June 2016]

TechTarget.com, (2013). Skeuomorphism. [online] Available at: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/skeuomorphism [Accessed 26 June 2016]

Carr, A. (2012). Will Apple's Tacky Software-Design Philosophy Cause A Revolt? [Image] Available at: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670760/will-apples-tacky-software-design-philosophy-cause-a-revolt [Accessed 26 June 2016]

Walker, A. (2014) An Interview With Geoff McFetridge On The Interfaces From Her. [Image] Available at: http://gizmodo.com/an-interview-with-geoff-mcfetridge-on-the-interfaces-fr-1526237090 [Accessed 26 June 2016]