Point and Click...

... that used to be the voice of computing.  But now with Microsoft's announcement of their touch-activated table called Surface,... it's now 'touch and go' vs. 'point and click' (it's like finger-painting in digital paint).  They call it a natural interface, and they claim it will change the way we interact with computers in the future.  I think they're right, especially when it comes to group computing,... or what I have referred to in the past as 'WE' work.

'I' work, or individual computing, is built around a digital desktop that is configured around a person's computing tools/preferences/shortcuts/etc.  Maybe that's why they call it personal computing.  A mouse or digital pointing device works when the orientation is to the individual, and their specific way of working.  But when computing becomes shared between two or more people, the interface has to become shared as well.  And if shared, it needs to become a simple method that everyone could quickly learn.

In a shared experience, a gesture triggered by touch makes perfect sense.  Just as much sense as a larger display, that by its size allows multiple people to interact with it.  If they can interact concurrently, as opposed to taking turns, all the better for true collaboration.  There is no denying the trend, with more and more work demanding more and more collaboration.  In other words, the change in computing is a response to a change in user behavior.  And the change in computing is driving a change in the allocation and design of office space.

Smaller individual spaces, and larger group spaces,... it's happening in offices across the country and around the globe.  Teams have become the primary method for solving today's complex problems, and for creating tomorrow's innovative solutions.  In a team setting, some information tools work better with a table orientation,... and others work better in a wall orientation.

With a table, everyone needs to either be on the same side of the table, or the content has to be non-directional (as in an aerial map).  For this reason, 2 or 3 is about the limit of a table-based display.  With a larger group the wall is the way to go, as everyone can view the content in a similar way.  And in both cases, gestures are really an ideal interface.  Don't you agree...?