Multimodal Directing in New-Media. The design of the human-computer interface as a directorship of communication modes integrated in a global medium

This research work is meant to offer a theoretical contribution to the study of Visual Design: in particular, the concept of Multimodal Directorship in New Media is approached, defined and developed. Multimodal Directorship is presented as knowledge framewok for research and experimentation of communication languages supporting human-computer interfaces design. The research about Multimodal Directorship gives a theoretical ground to develop better hermeneutic and design methods. The starting point of this research is to define New-Media as digital communication tools structured around hypertextual links. Many, active communication channels (i. e. visual, textual, acoustic and so on) convey simoultaneously information to the user perception. Every single channel does not act indipendently: it must work as a co-operating element with the other modes of communication within a complex system. Interface design in New Media is part of an interdisciplinary context where a system of direction is identified, articulating the design of modes and languages specific of different perceptions into a global, single, efficient medium. As stated in the cognitive psychology approach of the San Diego School, and from the metaphore of the multimedial authoring software of Canter, the human-computer interaction is very similar to a theatre drama. In this framework the action of the designer is analysed and accordingly the metaphore is resolved. Following this approach the communications designer acts very similarly to a movie or theater director coordinating all the psycho-perceptual effects. The knowledge and the know-how extend therefore outside the traditional field of composition and graphical communication and the designer is involved in a global approach to project. The designer is the privileged author of the intertextual script that writes the different expression modes and the user, as co-author, during the interaction will activate the different communication modes by experiencing the interface. Designers tried to adapt in a mimetical and naïve way the previouse experiences usual in professional practice to digital media. The potential expressions of new-media have been missed and misused. Only the mymesis of traditional media (i. e. like printed paper) was exploited. The challenge for the Multimodal Directorship is to find out a new grammatic and sintaxis to sintetyze the different communication modalities. The methodology doesn’t depend on an episodic technological development aiming to the creation of new languages to cope with the technological innovation. The directorship approach should develop within an abstract, conceptual framework; is constantly growing through interaction with other research fields like semiotic, cognitive psycology, information technology and so on. The knowledge that comes out from design research modifies the professional process. The Multimodal Directorship as discipline of new-media design utilies and reshapes knowledge previously produced within its own field, and foster constantly a critical knowledge on the professional practice.