A question of interfaces

摘要

As a go-between that connects users with systems or services, the interface is present in our daily activities, which are consequently affected for better or for worse. The interface is the main subject of two recent books, one by Emanuela Bonini Lessing (Interfacce metropolitane) and the other by Davide Fornari (Il volto come interfaccia). Although both share this departure point, each treaty pertains to a different sphere: the former is about city communications to citizens and the latter about the design of humanoid agents. They share a multi-disciplinary approach, starting with the field of design, a discipline well suited to interact with many others. Then the books branch out to other fields in search of knowledge and methods upon which to found their theses. Emanuela Bonini Lessing explores the city, a terrain of social interaction par excellence that is under evolution, and the way it communicates.