Analog or Digital

The blog had great examples, but I think humans are both analog and digital. There are the simple people who want simple programs, and complex people who want multitasking programs. I think that no matter how well we design programs, apps, software, and hardware it’ll never be exactly what we want, making some lean toward analog and others toward digital. Some humans want more features, and some want less. As designers we need to keep this in mind.

A big factor is that technology isn’t able to evolve at specific times (like how new car models showcase in August). Plasma TVs were in style a few years back, now its LED HD TVs… its LED HD 3D TVs. There are too many loose variables for us to control, and this could make being digital difficult. Mac Vs. PCs, Nvidia Vs. ATI, Intel Vs. AMD, Kingston Vs. Crucial. My ancient nokia cell phone never shut down from failure, it was impossible to overload. But, my new HTC, with all the best new features, will shut down if it overloads running GPS. We have browsers battle on what a designer can and can’t use. These technology wars will never stop, and to make it worse, there are already too many hands in the pot. As humans we need to find our niche and educate ourselves on the technology most relevant to our specific needs.

There are many levels when it comes to understanding technology. We have people who still don’t know how to turn on a PC, and we have people designing/testing hard drives that record at light speed. When designing websites, programs, or apps we have to think of both sides of that spectrum. There’s so much chaos in the field of technology, but in some crazy way humans continue to reach new heights. Each individual has their own choice between analog and digital, and each designer can try to bridge the gaps between the two. I don’t think age affects the choice between analog and digital; it’s more reliant on the individual. I know my uncle still uses index cards to keep count of rent collection, and to switch to an excel spreadsheet wouldn’t fit his needs.

The world will always have its balance of analog and digital. I think that technology is evolving just like our tools and languages did over centuries of exposure; and in time we may have a better relationship with technology.