Requiem for an Interface
Steve Harrison, Deborah G. Tatar · interactions · 2023
delight.Enough delight to know that "firm" engineering does not mean just engineer values, and that utility does not always rest in being as complete and accurate as possible in every instant.Dark Sky was a great example of designing for a situation of use.A first quick glance at the main screen showed what you actually wanted to know at first glance.That is to say: not everything.This is an important purpose.Imagine a cyclist grasping their iPhone after noticing a threatening sky and then thrusting the phone back into their pocket.It's also no small design accomplishment.On January 1, 2023, the weather app Dark Sky ceased working.Many apps provide weather information and forecasts, but Dark Sky showed what thoughtful information design can do.We lament the loss of its "hyperlocal" information; we lament how it created extrapolations of surrounding weather sources and current patterns; and above all we lament the loss of its interface.The interface made Dark Sky the first thing we would turn to.To borrow from Vitruvius, it had "commodity, firmness and delight."Commodity here means utility.Firmness means engineering.And delight means… O Requiem for an Interface Insights → We lament the loss of Dark Sky's deceptively simple interface that delightfully delivered hyperlocal weather information.→ Focusing on "features" can blind us to quality.→ By designing systems that resonate with rich human situations of use, interfaces can implement beneficial values and reflect humans' better natures.