# Doing with images makes symbols: Communicating with computers

Date: 2021-04-07 00:25:19 +08:00Date modified: 2021-05-04 20:51:32 +08:00

Graphical user interfaces (GUI) brings the possibilities of easier collaboration and accessibility for the many.

- Sketchpad is the first documented program to use a graphical user interface and pioneered the way for computer-aided design.

- Since GUI makes use of the whole screen, the mouse was used as interacting with the program. It was however inaccurate for its usage requiring the user to switch back and forth so some devices such as the five-finger keyboard were invented to work around this problem.

- Inspired from Sketchpad, Alan Kay worked on a programming language called Smalltalk that focuses on the visual department for computing.

- Furthermore, he believed by focusing on a more specific audience like children will help getting a far more intuitive interface for using a computer.

- The psychology behind user interface where based by the learning methods and its enemies (e.g., distraction).

- In order to combat against distraction, you should distract the user with a lighter alternative. See Timothy Gallwey on how he claims teaching tennis can be done in an afternoon for above point

- Humans are thought to have a dominant mindset at different stages of their life. At the age of 5 and below, they have the tendency to do something. Not minding the consequences of their future actions. By 6 to 11, they tend to be visual where observations are their main tools for learning. Then, at the teenage phase enter the "facts and logic" phase where they usually makes use of symbols.

- An experiment done by Kay's team is to gather 3 people at different stages (5 y/o, 10 y/0, and 15 y/o) and asked them to create a Turtle program that makes a circle. The natural tendency is to believe the older, the better it does the task but the results are actually the opposite. The 5 y/o having the simplest (and most clever) by simply doing how to create a circle. Meanwhile, the 10 y/o observed the circle could be created with a compass and based their program around how to create a circle with a compass. The 15 y/o wasn't able to create one focusing on the mathematical formula to create a circle.

- The takeaway on this experiment is how to make use of these different mindset to create an effective environment. (Which interestingly could be applied on effective learning.)

- Motto: doing with images make symbols