Opportunity at the Interface Part 1
This topic and title feels like it could be a whole book. People who have worked with me know the axiom I have used that “interfaces are sources of friction” and used this as an admonition to project managers to pay close attention to interfaces, be they physical such as a compendial water system to a process system or relational such as from one design discipline to another.
In my daydreaming on this topic I got to thinking about software design, thinking of an application that I wished existed. Reflecting on my experience in industrial automation and in doing a little bit of research it is evident that a large proportion of software design effort is devoted to a variety of interfaces:
Internal interfaces: Between functions, subroutines, modules etc.
External interfaces: Between systems, such as APIs, controllers to SCADA, etc.
User interfaces: HMI’s, GUI, etc. which require integration with backend logic.
We have all used a lot of software, and the quality of the interface matters…a LOT. The back end may be very powerful, but if the interface sucks people simply will not use it, and if it can not interface with other software packages it is doomed.
Looking at the world interfaces are everywhere, fractal even. In fact right down to the atomic level the only time there are no interfaces is in a pure vacuum. Interfaces are transformational at the atomic level, when two pure elements combine and are interfaced something with totally different properties is created. What could have been two inert elements are now reactive, or perhaps things like group 1 metals that are highly reactive are combined with another highly reactive element like a halogen to produce a much more stable salt. OK enough with the chemistry, you get the point about the interface being transformative.
Part of what got me thinking about this was a podcast I was listening to recently that brought up Plato’s Phaedo in which there is a metaphor called the “lyre objection” in which the soul is compared to the music that is produced when the lyre (a stringed musical instrument) is played. That’s a whole other discussion and if you don’t mind reading an archaic style of writing it is actually a fun read.
This got me thinking about interfaces some more though. The lyre is an inanimate object. Without a musician there is no music. The musician who has no instrument also results in no music. Music is produced because of the interface of the musician with their instrument (be it a lyre, the ground they are stomping on, or even their voice-box). Is it just simply interfacing a musician with the instrument to produce music? No. The musician needs to be skilled, and while an individual musician may be able to play improvisationally adding more and more musicians, lets say to an orchestral level will require some kind of a plan: the sheet music. Then there is a conductor who is added to the mix who has the specific job of coordinating the musicians, and leading the orchestra into producing something beautiful.
There are other interfaces to consider in the creation and enjoyment of this music, between:
the orchestra and the facility
the facility and the audience
the orchestra and the audience
When an organization is working really well it’s a lot like a high performing orchestra. People are interfacing with their tools to undertake the creation of something of value. People are working together and interfacing with each other. Groups of people are interfacing with each other to create value.
I have notes together for much more than a single newsletter, so I’ll be making this another multi-part exploration.
In the mean time, Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends out there and good luck making music happen.
With gratitude for your readership and thoughts,
Nik