schaub4@yogi.vmsmail.unibas.ch (05/16/91)
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decode
Institute for Intelligible Technology
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Proposal for a media institute in Switzerland
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Here you can reach us:
D AG Birmannsgasse 24
Design Research Agentur CH-4055 Basel / Switzerland
Mischa Schaub und Friederike Kretzen Tel: 0114161 272 53 03
Fax: 0114161 272 53 83 (valid from the 5-20-91) e_mail: schaub4@urz.unibas.ch
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Contents
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1 An electronic emergency
2 The solution
3 The start of decode
4 The structure of decode's research
5 Dimensions of decode's research
6 The decode_team
7 The research project into_it
8 The decode_consortium
9 decode's founding members and the decode_advisory_board
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1 An electronic emergency
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** A widening gap**
Electronics are separating society into the users and the rest. This gap may
increase further through the technological acceleration.
** Sometimes the logic of war as the father of all things might be wrong**
Most digital innovation comes from military technology. The introduction of
commercially interesting offsprings of StarWars into most elements and
functions of society takes place without social control.
** Less and less we are the masters of our everyday objects.**
Many electronic,feature-ladden gadgets have left their consumers behind. This
leads to an increasing helplessness and a distance in respect to the technical
potential of our society. This helplessness may take on forms of a veritable
identity crisis, many elderly cititzens feeling hopelessly outdated, barely
able to use the ticket machines of public transport systems.
** Useless features.**
The competition between manufacturers leads to ever more abstract sales
arguments and the addition of useless functions; this leads to an increasing
frustration of the users. The throwaway logic of theoretically powerful and
practically unusable high-tech products fosters a contamination of the
environment.
** The inability of the unemployed to meet the needs of the employers is
increasing with the growing complexity and technicality of the
information-systems used at the workplace.**
Training costs for the productive use of these systems are increasing quickly,
while at the same time the period of usability is decreasing as technical
developments accelerate.A leading manufacturer of graphic-workstation devalues
his own stock with seven percent monthly, such a dynamic technology asks too
much of every user.
** English is the language of electronics.**
Countries with different languages are having great difficulties in the
international marketing of their products and in the efficient use of
English-based imports. In these countries working with electronic tools
automatically implies bilingual abilities. This excludes a great part of the
european population from working in this field.
** By definition the industrial designer is supposed to fill such gaps between
technology and its users.**
The actual knowledge of most of these professionals cannot cope with the
difficult problems mentioned, because even the most advanced designers are just
beginning to integrate electronic tools in their own creative process. Usually
the budgets of their time-pressured clients are related to specific projects.
Only rarely is a commercial job definition broad enough to support a deeper
level of research. As a result superficial technical innovations of a
decorative rather than useful nature are implemented without any proper effort
to attack the fundamental problems in the popular use of high technology.
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2 The solution
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The new media change the basis of our forms of observation and communication. A
platform for the creative confrontation with this threatening development has
become a necessity. Its aim should reach further than improving the programs
of television; we see its function as a social go-between, which should further
a systematic dialog between an unguided technological creativity and the needs
of society.
** Freedom of research.**
Technology will not find its aims through better laws, but with the support of
a free platform for the creative research into its problems. Such an
institution must find its place on the borderline of academic research and
industry, if it wants to be credible on both sides of the fence. The pure
academic ivorytower is as helpless to cope with this situation as the
industrial research with its commercial necessities.
** From threat to hope.**
Optimally applied electronics could help the industrial designer to develop
environmentally responsible solutions, guide the lost tourist through the
unknown city and allow access to knowledge in the smallest village. To function
in such a liberating way, its usage must become more comprehensible.
** Foundation of an institute for intelligible technology.**
The following proposal for an institute will be helpful in the urgent task of
creating an obvious kind of technology, which can be used intuitively without
introductory seminars and without manuals.
** Nomen est omen.**
We call it decode, to express our aim for the development of a self-explanatory
approach to technology through the decodisation of the complex systems of hard-
and software (=programming code).
** No copy of MediaLab und XeroxPark.**
Contrary to the two new German media-research centers ZKM in Karlsruhe and
Leonardo in Cologne, decode does not imitate American models of a similar
nature. The new institute should search for an European answer to the imported
technology; only through the use of our own potential an alternative use of
technology and its adaption to our European needs will become feasible.
** International knowledge-transfer.**
decode ist based on an international network of personal contacts and on the
professional experience of its founders and of the members of the advisory
board.
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3 The start of decode
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** The rooms and the first research project will be financed through public
funding.**
We will try to find office-space for the institute by autumn 91 in an sizeable
town in Switzerland. These rooms with basic, functional furniture and lighting
should be totally sponsored by the local community. Around 5500 square feet
will be necessary for offices, workshops and a comfortable guest appartment.
** The state as catalyst.**
decode's first research project into_it should act as a catalyst for the
foundation of the institute and will help decode through the difficulties of
the initial phase. into_it will be finished after two years and it will be
financed by public research funds. After finishing the first research project
around fifteen people will be working at the institute.
** The future costs will be covered by industrial sponsors.**
Permanent funding takes place through the industrial decode_consortium. The
membership-fee can be financed partially through the donation of products.
Already today several donations of hard- and software have been promised by
industrial sponsors. Thus, only a small part of the funds will have to be used
for buying equipment. This support by cost-conscious professionals guarantees
the institute a streamlined operation and the technical feedback necessary for
information on the state of the art.
** The decode_advisory_board.**
The decode_advisory_board is an exclusive group of established professionals.
Its members advise the founders on the definition of their aims.
** Legal aspects.**
As a member of the decode_advisory_board, the patent lawyer Alexandra Frei has
offered her services to clarify the many problems of intellectual property in a
noncommercial context. decode will be founded as a nonprofit organisation. The
legal definition of decode will be defined with a local lawyer at decode's
final location.
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4 The structure of decode's research
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** Observation.**
Through the systematic observation of persons using information-systems a body
of knowledge about the common difficulties of our products will be accumulated.
** The human potential.**
An analysis of untapped sensory, motoric and cognitive capabilities looks for
underused realms of the human potential, which could and should be adressed
consciously from the designers of interactive digital systems.
** Development of a strategy.**
Based on this material, the criteria of intelligible technology can be
established. Through publications about these findings decode tries to
influence and steer on an international level the design-consciousness.
** The user's tools.**
Once our theoretical basis is clear, we will approach practical solutions: Of
main importance will be our research on tools in the realm of digital media,
which are intuitively usable and do not hinder creativity. Our research will
look into hard- and softwaresolutions to improve the designprocess in the area
of consumer goods, mediaproducts and architectural propositions.
** Prototypical solutions.**
An important topic is the development and demonstration of finished solutions
for products related to the devices and the environment of the workplace.
** Spreading the message.**
Last and certainly not least: the transfer of our knowledge about the rules and
shapes of intelligible technology to industrial and public users through media
products, lectures and exhibitions.
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5 Dimensions of decode's research
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** Surface,Space and Time form the structure of decode's research.**
Within the first twelve months after the founding of decode its three
departments will start operating. The classic dimensions of surface, space and
time will be used for the differentiation between the departments. The names of
the departments will be "The Digital Image", The Numerical Space" and
Movement Through Time".
** The Digital Image.**
The Digital Image is concerned with computer graphics, print media and
alternative forms of screendesign, where it is looking for answers to the many
problems of hypermedia-based information-tools. These developments will be
tested by critical users in their daily work. The Digital Image will be
responsible for the design and production of decode's printed products. This
experimental activity will lead to a broad research into digital photography
and the typografical potential of the new tools.
** The Numerical Space.**
The Numerical Space works on spatial aspects of mediaproduction and its tools.
The wide field ranges from the ideal workspace of the architect to the
environmentally interesting technology of computer-aided formoptimisation. The
numerical Space will also develop and design a spatial orientation system for
simulated walkthroughs and moviemaps. Contacts with industrial developers of
CAD software will be established early in order to better steer the development
during the conceptional phase. Besides this basic technological research, The
Numerical Space will look into fresh possibilities of creating real and
artificial inszenarios and environments for an easier interaction with and
within the new media.
**Movement Through Time.**
Movement Through Time covers many design aspects for solving the time dimension
of intelligible technology, reaching from music to computeranimation.
Interfaces for multimedia applications as well as the problems and the
potential of nonsequential and interactive videodisk movies will be
investigated here.
** A database.**
In addition to the founding of the three research departments, a knowledge base
for interactive technology will be established. The creation of a thematically
related EUNET newsgroup is also foreseen.
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6 The decode_team
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** The size of the team.**
A group is most creative between ten and thirty members. This size allows many
facets and viewpoints, without losing touch with each other.
** Four employed managers.**
Each of decode's three departments has its own manager, together with one
manager responsible for the administration of the institute these are the only
people fully employed.
** Designer / Hardware engineer / Software engineer.**
The academic educations of the managers form an entity. The Digital Image will
be lead by an industrial designer, The Numerical Space by a hardware engineer
and Movement Through Time by a software engineer.
** The students.**
During their studies about fifteen engineering- and design-students work in the
institute. Such a stay should last for one year at least. These collaborators
will be financed with grants or from their private means. In case of need
special research grants can be found. The research projects will be supervised
through the department managers and through external consultants coming from
the arts and industry.
** The consultants **
The number of capable people involved in the research of fundamentally new
solutions and concepts for mediatechnology is limited. These people will have
found already their wellpaying jobs; for their work they are dependent on their
professional and mostly American environment, without which they would feel
lost after a longer stay in Switzerland.
** Because of the ever growing knowledge gap all future work within our area of
research would be bound to fail without these consultants.**
This unconventional concept of a network of personal relations has been
established based on discussions with leading American research professionals.
Such an institute would find an enthusiastic response Together with the
interest in an European approach to interface design the attraction of free
flights and a comfortable guest appartment should be strong enough to get an
informal kind of exchange going during the holidays of these researchers. Every
three to four weeks a new guest will be invited.
** Doors are being opened.**
The established personal relationships will open to the decode_team the
possibility of being invited for an exchange visit to the American sister
institutes.
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7 The research project into_it
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** The projects aim.**
Before the designers of industrial and consumer goods will be able to offer
better solutions for the problems of the digital age, they must improve their
own tools.Therefore into_it develops a new set of tools for the designprocess
with digital means.
** The projects name.**
The first research project of the decode institute is called into_it. This
expresses entering into" a new approach to an intuitive kind of technology.
The dash between into and it is a usual way of connecting to words in the
UNIX-World. Finally the word it" is widely used as a short name for
information technology".
The schedule of into_it is limited to two years. into_it will be financed by
public research funds. Including everything from wages to materials, energy,
travel and communication the amount necessary for the project is about US $
1190000. Rental costs for office space and machinery are excluded from this
calculation, as they will be supported through the local community and the
decode_consortium.
** Elements of the project.**
Planned is the development of the hardware of an electronic toolset for the
production of graphic representations, which should create a digital equivalent
to the traditional tools of the graphic designer before the age of the
inputmouse. For the different needs of spatial design the development of a
twohanded tool is planned. The integration of these tools into existing CAD-
and animation-packages will be as important as the development of our own
demonstration software. The finish of the project will consist in the
development of our own designconcepts for the use of the new information tools
hypertext/hypermedia. A multimedia presentation demonstrates its findings in
the usability of an interactive tool for complex communiications. This digital
documentation will be distributed to all interested parties against the billing
of the copying costs.
An exhibition could explain the results of into_it to a broader public with an
interactive installation. The scope could reach from the first studies to
prototypical mockups and to an show of graphics and objects, that have been
designed with the new tools. The relatively high costs to produce such an
exhibition would exceed the financial limits of into_it and would need a
commercial form of sponsoring.
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8 The decode_consortium
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The decode_consortium consists of leading representatives of creative
institutions and companies. To these groups it offers the possibility of
participating without a great financial burden in the research of decode.
** Information.**
You will be oriented about the state of the art of intelligible technology by
being invited to two yearly meetings and by getting the decode_news, which will
be available only to members of the consortium. A permanent decode_conference
can be reached through e_mail; it allows a quick and informal exchange with
other members of the consortium and with the research staff at decode.
** A forum for exchange.**
You get a direct contact to institutions and personalities with a similar
interest to yours in the development of intelligible technology. Your
scientists and researchers can be Industrial Fellows of decode. That allows
them to work side by side together with our staff in our rooms.
** Competitors edge.**
You gain insider-access to the results of our research before they are
published.
** Prestige.**
The public image of your organisation will improve with your membership in the
consortium.
** Future employees.**
You will have the possibility of winning our student researchers with their
experience in the design of intelligible technology as employees of your
organisation.
** Development Contracts.**
You will be able to discuss with our staff the aims that are especially
interesting for the achievement of your strategic goals and to sign a
co-development contract with us to this effect.
** The investment.**
The yearly membership fee in the decode_consortium is at least US $ 35000 and
grows with the size of the associated company. A membership contract defines
the conditions of membership.
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9 decode's founding members and the decode_advisory_board
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** The founding members.**
** Mischa Schaub ** was born 52 in Basel, Switzerland. After his formation as a
sculptor at the Kunstgewerbeschule Basel and the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf he
worked for several years as a freelance artist. 78 he finished his postgraduate
studies in industrial design at the Royal College of Art in London. In 83 he
founded the Design Research Agency. For this consultancy he has been working
since then. In 89 his handbook "Kreative Entwurfsarbeit am Computer" (Creative
Design With A Computer) was published by DuMont. At the Zentrum fur Kunst und
Medientechnologie in Karlsruhe (Germany) he started an institute for visual
media and worked on the organisation of a multimedia-festival, which will take
place in 91. He will describe his experiences within this institution in his
second book, which will be published by DuMont in the autumn of 91.
** Friederike Kretzen ** was born 1956 in Leverkusen, Germany. In 1981 she
finished her studies of sociology at the university of Giessen. She aquired her
first professional experience as a drama advisor at the Bayerischen
Staatstheater in Munich. Together with Mischa Schaub she founded the Design
Research Agency and has been acting as it's theoretical consultant to this day.
Since several years she works as a writer of novels and as a journalist.
** The following personalities are acting as members of the
decode_advisory_board:**
** Professor Eduard Bannwart **
Founder of the media institute Art&Com, Berlin
** Daniel Bruecher **
Managing director of the publishing house DuMont, Cologne
** Professor Herbert W. Franke **
Scientist, computerartist, writer, Egling
** Karl Gerstner **
Founding member advertising agency GGK, artist, Alsace
** Dr. Regine Halter **
General secretary of Deutscher Werkbund, Frankfurt
** Rolf E. Holstein **
Graphic designer, president Association Computer Graphics ACG
** Herzog & de Meuron **
Architects BSA/SIA/ETH, Basel
** Alexandra Frei **
Patent lawyer, managing director Patentanwaltsburo Frei, Zurich
** Bob Jacobson**
Human Interface Lab, Washington State Uni, Seattle
** Paul Haeberli **
Principal Scientist, Silicon Graphics, CA
** Dr. Rolf Herken **
Founder computergraphics company mental image, Berlin
** Wolfgang K. Meyer-Hayoz **
Designer, president Swiss Industrial Designers SID, Winterthur
** Michael Naimark **
Artist, MovieMap-specialist, San Francisco
** Robert R. Riley **
Curator of Media Arts, SFMOMA, San Francicso
** Professor Gerhard Schmitt **
CAAD-Architecture, ETH, Zurich
** Dr.Christine Schoepf **
Director Prix Ars Electronica, Linz
** Dr.Dieter Schwarz **
Curator Museum of Art, Winterthur
** Dr.Milan Stanek **
Ethnologist University of Zurich, Basel
** Hanspeter Stocker **
Graphic designer, president Association Swiss Graphic Designers ASG
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Dear reader,
thank you for your interest. All forms of criticism, collaboration, support and
exchange are highly welcome (You can feel pretty lonely in good old Europen
with such a project). Please send your thoughts to: schaub@urz.unibas.ch
If there will be enough input, I will post a summary.
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