Media: Buxton makes his new Position clear for CNET

"PC or people - who's the boss?" by Martin LaMonica pins Bill Buxton down as the designer joins Microsoft Research in Cambridge after interning there for much of last year. Buxton, who is a proponent of good HCI to improve users' experiences but a critic of some usability practices, discusses the future of the PC in some depth.

'The nature of our relationship to computer-based technologies is in a state of flux. To be honest, to a large extent the PC as we know it is in many ways a success story. But it's a story that is through the introduction. It's at a mature state now. And a lot of the dynamics will be in what comes in the future and our changing relationship with technologies.'

But he has no doubt that the PC is here to stay: 'I think of other technologies relative to the PC a little by analogy to cinema, then television, then video games, etc. None of those things replaced live theater. They just helped us understand that things that didn't fit live theater now had a better outlet. ... We'll see the same thing (with PCs and other devices). With some new appliances and devices coming out, some of what's causing problems with the PC by overloading it will be offloaded to more appropriate platforms that complement that PC. It's not going to go away, but its dominance as the primary channel with which we interact with computers will be lessened. It will find its proper place as opposed to the over-inflated importance it has right now.'

There's plenty more in this long interview, including a discussion of the joy of using tools:
'Creativity in innovation is really important...Any product can be delightful, and they don't have to be boring. Usability is important, but it's not sufficient.'

Associated Link: CNET: PC or people - who's the boss?

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