Apple
"Core Technologies"

 

Over the years Form and Function has worked with Apple on a number of projects ranging from interactive system software simulations that mock-up potential features to marketing communications presentations. We enjoyed our time with the Human Interface Group under Joy Mountford and regret Apple effectively dissolving them a number of years ago. When companies allow institutional memory to be lost we inevitably see the current hodge-podge of interface designs devolving in random directions. Evolution is good, natural, and to be expected, but we are glad to see recent executive efforts to get a grip on this with the upcoming release of Leopard {OS X 10.5}.

In the late 1980's Apple sought interactive simulations illustrating the functionality of several new Core Technologies such as Publish and Subscribe (live updating), Inter-Application Communications, seamless service bureau communications with the Communications Toolbox and other innovative functions soon copied by others and now considered standard features for a modern computer. Simulations of new computer technologies through several faux programs and case-studies demonstrated feature usefullness and general user interface guidelines for an important new technical direction. Our ersatz-applications served as foils to walk executives, technical teams, and the wider computing market through visualizations via distinct and entertaining scenarios.

Apple repeatedly pressed the green "go" button for lively animated F+F walk-throughs that demonstrated clear interface/product descriptions to programmer, user testing groups and executives alike. This program was universally regarded successful by late-night internal development, executive decision suites, to the outside sales force and an eager press.
Over several years we developed everything from functional prototypes of "Bubble Help" - eventually known as 'Tool-Tips' in the Windows world - in the hypertext authoring system SuperCard to slick technical animated Director {this was pre-Flash days} walk-throughs showing Apple's kinder and simpler A/UX user interface to domesticate UNIX... a preview of today's OS X.

Eventually, Form and Function developed a configurable HyperCard presentation engine to launch any of a number of MacroMind VideoWorks/Director {Flash was barely a sparkle in someone's eye} animations depending on audience and pacing of the presenter. World-wide distribution in marketing and sales tools followed.

 

The New Mutant Finder

Prototyping in MacroMind VideoWorks/Director allowed Apple User Interface Group to visualize the effect of general help systems like Bubble Help in near real world settings and these same files became Apple's primary method to communicate these ideas and solicit feedback. Later these were widely disseminated across the marking communications groups and corporate sales teams. Now we all live with this capability without a second thought. Extraordinary and fanciful realism was essential in our minds because as odd as it may seem sometimes being fantastic throws reality is into sharper focus. Most examples began in the ficticious layout program "DTP Pro." This was a useful tool for explaining many advanced ideas while reinforcing Apple's graphical lead and ease of use. Under The Hood segments illustrate new concepts Apple pioneered desktop publishing and cemented this lead pushing new font technologies such as vertical text and outline fonts. Form and Function pushed the limits of the machine of that day to exagerate the realtime font scaling we take for granted now. MacroMind VideoWorks Accelerated files were triggered with HyperCard scripts to grow and shrink the headline of the DTP Pro document. To illustrate the idea of Live Data, or Publish and Subscribe, as it was oddly named to appeal to the printing world, an extra engine is added to an aircraft and the DTP Pro document reflects the change via auto-magic update. Taking a cue from Hollywood, our segues to technological underpinings usually focused attention on a message dialog that remained onscreen as the desktop faded away and the animated illustration began. This anchored the user to the ostensible task at hand even as the technology behind it was explained. One of the operating system advancements Apple promoted was Inter-Operable Communications. This allowed one application to summon another and handle tasks better suited to the requested programs abilities, such as number crunching, or professional graphing.   Todays' hardware does this without breaking a digital sweat, but at the time a lot of back-end preperation was needed to pre-load real-time anti-aliased fonts changing from small to enormous sizes. We used Macromedia VideoWorks Accelerator to blast the pixels to the screen and the effect weas very useful - and the feature and smooth power needed for real-time size changes holds true even to this day.

 

Apple made early gains with non-Roman text formats such as Islamic left-to-right and Asian top-to-bottom lines of text that cemented the Macintosh as a cornerstone of Desktop Publishing. Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry for a walk down memory lane for some and a dusty antique for newbies just wandering these corridors. We were glad to help clarify common everyday types of uses for the engineers who often had no idea what crazy uses an end user might do with the algorithms they code.

 

Apple Seven-Oh! Crew:
Amanda Hixsons
Ken Feehan
Ron Fernandez

Apple A/UX Crew:
Hugh Dubberly

Apple GEX Group:
Jim Palmer

FORM and FUNCTION:
Jonathan Gibson
Jennie Gale