Books with printed pages are unique in that they embody the simultaneous, high-resolution display of hundreds of pages of information. The representation of information on a large number of physical pages, which may be physically turned and written on, constitutes a highly preferred means of information interaction. In contrast to the discontinuous jumps between flat pages provided by the ubiquitous hyperlinked Web browser, an information landscape provides a continuum of paths from place to place, allowing spatially meaningful relationships between information objects. Current graphical interfaces tend to treat the glass surface of the computer display as a flat plane on which rectangular opaque windows resembling low-resolution paper are pasted haphazardly. By exploiting the computer's ability to compute 3-D graphics and display moving images, we can develop a new visual language for the medium.
Text is no longer limited to a static presentation in electronic communication.
Typographic form can change in size, color, and position according to a reader's interaction in real time. Presently, graphic design lacks ways to conceptualize and describe temporal aspects of typography in a systematic and analytical fashion. Combined speech input and output will be used to converse with a user seeking to control the computer, or to access information from it. Conversational techniques allow the computer to gracefully limit the vocabulary that is likely to be spoken, facilitating speech recognition. Radio news programs are most valuable when hands and eyes are busy, such as during the morning commute or while working in the kitchen.