Should we only design things with a computer that would be impossible without?

I will be responding to Design Principle 4.5: Design things with a computer that would not be possible without!

I highly agree with this statement because I think it is so important to be mindful and cautious of the kind of products we design with a tool, especially one that can be a double-edged sword like a computer. I think the idea of “designing to the medium” and using tools only in ways that innately use their aspects to enhance functionality is one I feel strongly about. The idea of being responsible enough to discover what the medium is innately good at as an essential guiding principle of design ensures we are creating products that are novel and meaningful.

I think using the computer as a method to transform a life experience is a good way to think about applying this principle, since it is difficult to understand what can potentially be made only with a computer. In the example of transforming sound, time modifications can shorten or lengthen a sound to a desired duration or stretch sounds to achieve special effects (ex. A door knocking).

Another way to do so is highly consider the low-level details that can be omitted by use of such a tool. Time is Chuck is a great way to illustrate this message — since it omits the other details of the backend of how sound is emitted and produced and merely allows users to design by manipulating time. This allows for freedom of design choices while providing useful ways of working without having to go into details that are less significant to user’s end goals.

Computation, specifically, opens up aesthetic possibilities to music that are not possible without, effectively taking music to another dimension. In building our visualisers, it’s been a great experience seeing music take visual forms and seeing how the shape of music looks like with different types of genres.

Ultimately, I think that the pervasiveness and the socioeconomic impact of computers and other technology means they significantly alter our lives. Every part of a product needs to be purposeful with regards to its relationship with technology. The medium, if we consider it as an agent of transformation, can be made to enhance our experiences with the real world and give us design choices that would not have been possible without, but, we need to be careful with products we allow to be created through such a medium.