When thinking about user interface design, many will focus on
the application itself, but Claire Rowland, an interaction
designer and researcher, looks at things a bit differently. She
came to the Desktop Summit in Berlin to describe "service
design", which encompasses more than just the interface for a
particular application. Looking at the service that is being
provided, and focusing on the "touchpoints" for that service,
makes for a more holistic view of interface design. That will
become increasingly important as we move into a world where more
and more "ordinary" devices become connected to the internet.
Rowland set the tone for her talk by playing a short video from
the Smarcos project, which outlined the kinds of devices and
connectivity between them that we are likely to see over the
next few years. Things in the real world that have not been
connected to the internet, like toilets, pets, or bathroom
scales, are headed in that direction. Since February 2011, AT&T
has had more new machine subscribers (