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The importance of free knowledge

Since the Industrial Age, societies have seen a continual, incremental flow of
more complex technologies and new practices involving human-technology
interaction. When looking at the development of these technologies, one begins to notice that
the innovations are reflected first in the general knowledge that influences product design and
production, which is then spread within the society by specialized companies. It is rare indeed
when a new innovation, perhaps products such as cellular cameras or mobile TVs, takes the
general audience by storm or is spontaneously produced in final form. For the most part, new
ideas result in small changes: progress that the average person hardly notices. Perhaps the
innovations reflect changes in the knowledge of ergonomics, or about the emotional impact of
a design. Ultimately, much of what happens in improving human-machine interaction is
completely unknown to the user.
This same reality can be found in the knowledge generation needed for conceiving and
developing technical innovations. New or expanded knowledge can often be outside the gaze
of designers and engineers. Sometimes this is because they have no need to be aware of the
mathematics, physics, or material knowledge required, for instance, to create a quality lens for
a camera phone. The usefulness embedded within a particular knowledge is often considered
meaningless unless one is a specialist addressing particular problems. Those addressing other
problems may easily underestimate the necessity of basic scientific knowledge derived from
investigating human-device interaction.
For example, an underestimation of the psychological knowledge about human
perception and behavior is especially easy because people regularly use their own intuitions
and behavioral experience as the grounds to resolve interaction problems. While there are
times when this might be effective, more often these intuitive approaches bring their own
risks and create their own problems. Oneâs own intuition can be counter to established
knowledge in interaction design, and solutions to perceived problems may violate the general
principles of human information processing. Therefore, accurate knowledge about the true
problem, about the complex aspects that affect the problem and potential solution, and about
how humans tend to think, react, and behave is essential for developing practical, innovative
solutions.

Knowledge should continue to be free for all our generations. 

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