First the design is decided, and then engineers scramble to fit all the parts and systems into place. That’s what people might muse vaguely about production at Sony. Actually, I think Sony has traditionally honored the process of design. A lot of people associate Sony with a steady stream of cool, compact designs. As for me, I see the aesthetics of subtraction in Sony’s design DNA. And I think the Walkman series reflects revolutionary design in this sense.
Manufacturers cram all sorts of features into portable devices, but I get the feeling that often, consumers aren’t thrilled. On the other hand, just how many unneeded features can be dropped, as we narrow down the needed features? Recording has been dropped on Walkman products designed specifically for playback. That’s surprisingly significant. I think the aesthetics of subtraction in the Walkman line is very important. One thing struck me in particular when musing about Walkman qualia, or qualitative properties of sensations. Listening to the Walkman, we’re physically active. Maybe we’re walking somewhere, and the surrounding scenery is flowing past us. It’s unprecedented that these three elements of movement, visual feedback, and music surge up at once in our brain. That’s what created the distinctive Walkman qualia. I just realized this, after nearly two decades as a Walkman user myself. And it’s a strangely difficult thing to notice.
I seem to use my Sony DVD recorder almost constantly these days. It’s about three years old now, but I find the interface very easy to use when I’m recording or programming it. Hard-disk recorders have changed the way we interact with TV dramatically. It’s fascinating to imagine the possibilities opened up by a device that invites us to store images from sources of all kinds on the hard disk for later viewing. In this sense, DVD recorder interface design covers a lot of ground. As a user myself, I’m convinced it has changed TV for me.
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