Source-linked AI summary
The Interface of Theseus: The Rise of Just-In-Time Interfaces
Michael S. Bernstein
TL;DR
Static interfaces are costly to create, while adaptive interfaces have often returned users to familiar static designs because of unpredictability. The paper proposes on-demand bespoke interfaces shaped by inferred objectives, user models, and coding agents, and argues that cheap, instantaneous construction could make interfaces temporary and shift designers toward creating generators.
Problem
Static interfaces are costly to create, while adaptive interfaces have often returned users to static designs because of unpredictability.
Source: p. 1Method
The paper frames just-in-time interfaces as bespoke systems built on demand from inferred objectives, user models, and coding agents, potentially guided by interface.md files.
Source: p. 1Results
The paper argues that if software construction becomes effectively free and instantaneous, interfaces will become temporary and designers may focus on toolkits rather than last-mile interfaces.
Source: p. 2Takeaways & Limitations
Bespoke interfaces could connect information across applications, such as Slack, code, and a todo list, into a mission-control system for completing goals.
Source: p. 2Just-in-time interfaces can violate consistency and familiarity, limiting users’ opportunity to develop implicit familiarity and ready-to-hand use.
Source: p. 1
Abstract
from arXiv · showhide
Our community creates interfaces---pre-constructed, static artifacts. These interfaces are effortful to create, so we invest great effort and care into each of them. Yet the equilibrium is shifting: we can now construct nearly any software, bespoke, within moments. When construction is cheap, we may soon live in a future in which interfaces are constructed in real time. This is a world of just-in-time interfaces: rapid, discardable, on-demand interfaces tailored to our needs in the moment. Will our community still create traditional interactive systems in this world? Or will we create interface generators, ``interface.md'' guides for AI consumption? I argue that we ought to lean into a future of rapid, bespoke, on-demand interfaces.