On December 9, 1968, an extraordinary technology demonstration made its debut at the Computing Machinery Conference in San Francisco, an event that became known as the “Mother of All Demonstrations.” The demonstration, presented by Douglas Engelbart and his team at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), showcased a range of disruptive computer interaction technologies, including the first public appearance of the mouse, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), video conferencing, and efficient text editing. and hypertext links. These concepts may be taken for granted to us today, but at the time, they represented the pinnacle of bold foresight and innovation for the future.
Why is this demonstration so important to us and to the world? It can be said to foresee the future of interactive design. As an interaction design undergraduate, we study not only how to make products easy to use, but also how to create meaning and connect people and technology through design. With their demonstration, Engelbart and his team not only demonstrated what is possible with the technology, but more importantly, they presented a vision of a world where people can interact with computers in intuitive and efficient ways.
Although the term “medieval innovation” is often used to describe technological and ideological advancements from ancient times to the Middle Ages, applying it to Engelbart’s demonstration shows a kind of innovative thinking that spans the ages. Engelbart and his team faced an era when computers were far from popular and were considered cold computing machines. Not only did they overturn this stereotype, but they ushered in a new era of human-computer interaction and collaborative computing that remains inspiring today.
From this demonstration, we learned not only the technological innovation itself, but also the thinking behind it: how to view technology as a tool to improve human work efficiency and quality of life. This is an important revelation for us future designers and technical experts. How should we continue to advance technology, not just for its own sake, but to use technology to solve real problems, connect people, and create a better future. Their work reminds us that technological innovation is not just about invention and discovery, but also about putting people first and designing products and services that change the world. Let us use this historic demonstration as inspiration to continue exploring and innovating to make our own contribution to the future of mankind.
The Mother of All Demos.” DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, www.darpa.mil/about-us/timeline/the-mother-of-all-demos. Accessed 12 Mar. 2024.