As we get started on our new assignment, our supplemental reading assignments for the next few weeks will focus on writing about technology. We will read several pieces by experienced technology critics, and you’ll get the chance to apply your analytical skills to a variety of interfaces.
Here’s a quick overview of how we’ll spend our time during Week 9:
- Before you go to bed on Monday night, please familiarize yourself with several of the applications on the “pre-approved” list for Unit #3 and email me your top four choices for this project (three from the list, plus one that you found). In class on Tuesday, I will announce your specific assignments for the Unit #3 project, and I will review the midterm feedback you gave me during Week 8. We’ll spend the rest of class discussing the following readings:
- Chapter 5 in Program or Be Programmed.
- “The Hidden Technology that Makes Twitter Huge,” by Paul Ford (don’t forget pages 2 and 3 of this article)
- “How We Changed the Facebook Friends Icon,” by Caitlin Winner
- “LinkedIn Dark Patterns,” by Dan Schlosser
- On Thursday, we will consider the history and evolution of word-processing applications. [UPDATE: Here are the files for WordStar and our MS Word styles workshop.] Before you come to class, please read the following articles:
- “Goodbye, Cruel Word,” by Steven Poole
- “Word 2011: Working with the new Find/Replace feature,” by Pierre Igot
- “Why Microsoft Word Must Die,” by Charlie Stross
- “The Condescending UI,” by Paul Miller
If you have any questions about these plans, please don’t hesitate to contact me.