Rachel Plotnick

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you so much for having me.

Yeah, I think there's kind of these interesting pendulum swings that happen with these different interfaces where something becomes really en vogue for a while, then not so much, then again. And the button is really a very old and enduring technology. Touchscreen is obviously much newer. For the last couple of decades, I think there became this kind of

Yeah, I think there's kind of these interesting pendulum swings that happen with these different interfaces where something becomes really en vogue for a while, then not so much, then again. And the button is really a very old and enduring technology. Touchscreen is obviously much newer. For the last couple of decades, I think there became this kind of

what I call touchscreen mania, where it was like, all right, everything's got to be a touchscreen now. And people got really hyped around that. But over time, I think we've begun to see some of the cracks and flaws and problems with doing everything that way.

what I call touchscreen mania, where it was like, all right, everything's got to be a touchscreen now. And people got really hyped around that. But over time, I think we've begun to see some of the cracks and flaws and problems with doing everything that way.

And people are starting to maybe dial back a little bit and think about when's the right situation for a touchscreen and when's the right situation for a physical button.

And people are starting to maybe dial back a little bit and think about when's the right situation for a touchscreen and when's the right situation for a physical button.

I'm going to dial that history down to just, you know, 60 seconds.

I'm going to dial that history down to just, you know, 60 seconds.

Condense that history. You know, I think it's a pretty fascinating story. You're right that it dates back to electrification and industrialization in the late 1800s, early 1900s. And at that moment, people were starting to deliberate, how are we going to control our machines in a way that's more effortless, that's more automatic?

Condense that history. You know, I think it's a pretty fascinating story. You're right that it dates back to electrification and industrialization in the late 1800s, early 1900s. And at that moment, people were starting to deliberate, how are we going to control our machines in a way that's more effortless, that's more automatic?

How do we initiate a circuit, turn it on and off, you know, open and close that circuit? And there were a variety of answers to that problem, various kinds of switches and pulls and throws and toggles. But the button kind of emerged as one of the standard ways of doing those kinds of activities.

How do we initiate a circuit, turn it on and off, you know, open and close that circuit? And there were a variety of answers to that problem, various kinds of switches and pulls and throws and toggles. But the button kind of emerged as one of the standard ways of doing those kinds of activities.

And a lot of that had to do with reducing the effort that it took because, you know, you'd have to pull a heavy cord or pull a lever, you know, do something that was pretty effortful. But also, I think there was this idea around accessibility that buttons were supposedly easier to use. And

And a lot of that had to do with reducing the effort that it took because, you know, you'd have to pull a heavy cord or pull a lever, you know, do something that was pretty effortful. But also, I think there was this idea around accessibility that buttons were supposedly easier to use. And

One of the most fascinating things was how they were advertised to women and children because they supposedly were either not smart enough or strong enough to operate machines otherwise. So there was kind of this talk of the lowest common denominator. So easy a child could do it. Anyone can push a button.

One of the most fascinating things was how they were advertised to women and children because they supposedly were either not smart enough or strong enough to operate machines otherwise. So there was kind of this talk of the lowest common denominator. So easy a child could do it. Anyone can push a button.

Yeah, I think it's a really interesting tension between the flexibility of software, which is versatile, and hey, you can update that button, and today that button does one thing, tomorrow it can do another thing, and the physical button's always going to do that one thing. But on the other hand, there is kind of that simplicity factor of, I can always go to this button.

Yeah, I think it's a really interesting tension between the flexibility of software, which is versatile, and hey, you can update that button, and today that button does one thing, tomorrow it can do another thing, and the physical button's always going to do that one thing. But on the other hand, there is kind of that simplicity factor of, I can always go to this button.