Back in the day, we used to think very rigidly about computers. They were seen as giant calculators or data processors. They were tools for scientists, engineers, and analysts. Interactions at the time were limited to typing in specific commands and code, thus limiting computers to only those who could speak their language. Though this was the case, this all would begin to change with the introduction of the Xerox Star in 1981. This device, as I see it, revolutionized the computer as it made it a collaborative instrument that suddenly practitioners could use to touch and manipulate their information.
In my opinion, the Xerox Star had a profound impact on computing as we know it today, setting the stage for the field we now recognize as Interaction Design. Need an example? Look no further than one of Xerox Star’s lasting legacies of the Desktop Metaphor.
Whether you are in the design and/or tech field or not, we are all familiar today with the tried and true Desktop Metaphor that we see on computers. The Star system used windows, icons, folders, and documents, being the first of its kind to use this visual representation of work that mimicked real-life offices. By using this metaphor, I would say that computing became more intuitive and accessible. This allowed designers to start thinking about how to make the computer can feel more natural for us, despite being such a new technology. Truly, it made all the difference as now users could point, click, drag, and drop with a mouse!
Not only did they pioneer the field with the Desktop Metaphor, but, as mentioned before, designers and thinkers in tech suddenly began to consider user experience, and began to think less about the hardware aspect of the computer. The Star’s designers were different than other designers of their time as they were suddenly focused on usability, considering things like consistent design and predictable interfaces.
Another reason I believe the Xerox Star revolutionized computing is that it was the first to combine software, hardware, and collaboration, all within a single ecosystem, providing a fully integrated experience. One of the main things that made the Star so unique and exciting was the fact that it wasn’t just a single interface, but rather it was an experience of working and collaborating with devices and people.
In the end, even though the Xerox Star did fail commercially, I believe that its design philosophy is the blueprint we use today, especially in the field of Interaction Design. It really did mark the birth of user-centered design and transformed the way computers could interact with us and other devices. So much of what we are able to accomplish today comes from the Xerox Star and how they were able to take a technological problem and make it a design problem. All in all, I would say it redefined how humans and digital system interact.