Rachel Plotnick

And so I think there's a real accessibility issue around there, you know, questions of safety and the fact that at the end of the day, those buttons are really only going to make sense if you're staring at them.

And so I think there's a real accessibility issue around there, you know, questions of safety and the fact that at the end of the day, those buttons are really only going to make sense if you're staring at them.

And when we think about, you know, the various kinds of mechanical buttons that we use in our daily lives, a lot of those can be operated just by knowing where they are, feeling around, you know, and finding where the button is. And that lends itself to a certain kind of, you know, experience that's quite different than the touchscreen.

And when we think about, you know, the various kinds of mechanical buttons that we use in our daily lives, a lot of those can be operated just by knowing where they are, feeling around, you know, and finding where the button is. And that lends itself to a certain kind of, you know, experience that's quite different than the touchscreen.

And the other thing too, I think is just the limited sort of tactile experience you have with digital buttons. You know, like if I'm looking at clothes, I want to touch them and feel what the fabric feels like. But at the end of the day, you're always just going to be touching glass. Buttons I think can give us a little bit more nuance in terms of their textures and their qualities.

And the other thing too, I think is just the limited sort of tactile experience you have with digital buttons. You know, like if I'm looking at clothes, I want to touch them and feel what the fabric feels like. But at the end of the day, you're always just going to be touching glass. Buttons I think can give us a little bit more nuance in terms of their textures and their qualities.

Yeah, it's so situation specific, I think. You know, if we think about driving and having to keep our eyes on the road or we think about being in a darkened room, you know, those are times when we just need things at hand and we don't want to have to be moving back and forth between these different systems.

Yeah, it's so situation specific, I think. You know, if we think about driving and having to keep our eyes on the road or we think about being in a darkened room, you know, those are times when we just need things at hand and we don't want to have to be moving back and forth between these different systems.

But in other cases, obviously, you know, you're on your iPad or you're looking right at the thing and you can manipulate it in a way with your finger that might feel really pleasurable and way better than having to push buttons. So I do think it's very context specific.

But in other cases, obviously, you know, you're on your iPad or you're looking right at the thing and you can manipulate it in a way with your finger that might feel really pleasurable and way better than having to push buttons. So I do think it's very context specific.

Gaming to me is one of the most interesting ones that despite all the different systems that have come out, it seems like gamers still just really want to push buttons. They want physical controls, you know, and you can see someone who plays with a video game controller, how well they know those buttons and they're not looking down at them. They're just, you know, expert mashers.

Gaming to me is one of the most interesting ones that despite all the different systems that have come out, it seems like gamers still just really want to push buttons. They want physical controls, you know, and you can see someone who plays with a video game controller, how well they know those buttons and they're not looking down at them. They're just, you know, expert mashers.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

I do think something interesting about that, too, is what you're describing is this kind of muscle memory. And all of that, too, just does take time with a system. Because as you were talking, I was thinking of all the places where I feel like an alien or I feel like a totally incompetent user. You get into a rental car, you've never used any of the mirrors or the dash before.

I do think something interesting about that, too, is what you're describing is this kind of muscle memory. And all of that, too, just does take time with a system. Because as you were talking, I was thinking of all the places where I feel like an alien or I feel like a totally incompetent user. You get into a rental car, you've never used any of the mirrors or the dash before.

Or you're a Mac user, you start using a PC or vice versa. Right. You've never used a particular game system. I mean, in all those situations, you can just be totally clumsy and just, you know, futzing about when, on the other hand, you become this kind of expert user when you've built that muscle memory and you know exactly where it is.

Or you're a Mac user, you start using a PC or vice versa. Right. You've never used a particular game system. I mean, in all those situations, you can just be totally clumsy and just, you know, futzing about when, on the other hand, you become this kind of expert user when you've built that muscle memory and you know exactly where it is.

That's a good question. You know, as you were talking, it was making me think that it's almost like we had to take the buttons away to figure out where we should put them back.

That's a good question. You know, as you were talking, it was making me think that it's almost like we had to take the buttons away to figure out where we should put them back.