HCI metacomputing: universal syntax, structured editing, and deconstructible user interfaces

Abstract

There is a classic design tension between user-friendly user interface design and expert-friendly user interface design. There is also a classic design tension between binary data format design and printable data format design. This work attempts to expose both sets of design tensions as having the same cause and solution. We observe an opportunity to redefine the baseline for "human-readable" formats by pairing a universal binary syntax with a universal structured editor and explore the rippling implications that it could have on human-computer interaction and the computing landscape at large. We discuss how this paradigm solves a host of typical bugs and developer pain points as well as making software more flexible, how it can be used to add a self-descriptive capacity to information representations ranging from data formats to user interfaces, and finally, how that creates new outlets for end-users to apply tiers of computational literacy for their own empowerment.