Interaction criticism: Three readings of an interaction design, and what they get us

MÆve was a presentation of student entries to the architectural competition Everyville held at the 2008 International Architectural Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. It was developed by the interface design team of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, under the supervision of Boris Müller and Till Nagel. It is built on an interactive tabletop display and several sets of paper cards, which can be detected when they are placed on the tabletop. It is easy to imagine a traditional browser-based presentation of the contents of the mÆve database. The table in MÆve itself defines a space that accommodates multiple performers and onlookers. Furthermore, projection screens duplicate the table's visual fields and vastly expand the space for a potential audience. MÆve is the sole object of interest in a large public room that is dark and illuminated by screens. MÆve's perceptual and cognitive power over users brings to mind the concept of the sublime developed in aesthetics.