History of the Button

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Bill DeRouchey

Do you carry over 100 buttons?

Buttons have integrated themselves into our daily lives. But how much? Count how many buttons you touch daily. At home, in your car, at work, in the elevator. Or even better, count how many buttons you carry around with you at all times. You provide rides for buttons. You are

Toddlers love buttons

Kids love buttons. One year olds will push anything they can reach. Once they get up and walk around, their entire environment is fair game. What does this do? What does that do? What’s really interesting is that, far more than previous generations could learn, today’s toddlers learn

Optimus mini, it's alive!

The Optimus mini three is finally available. Born from the stuff of UI legends, the famed Optimus keyboard, the Optimus mini is bound to either be a mighty success of a mighty flop. I’m rooting for success. What’s the big deal? Buttons are now displays. They have images.

NY crosswalk buttons are placebos

Crosswalk buttons are fake. You suspect it. You know it in your gut. And in New York City, you are correct. Brian Sidlo in Australia pointed me to a great New York Times article from 2004 that tells the story of crosswalk buttons in New York City. Nearly all of

Singing about the button in 1891

As early as 1890, the button was becoming entrenched into the popular culture of public life. So popular that there was a song written about it. In 1891, W.S. Mullaly and Webster Fulton wrote “You Press the Button, We Do the Rest”, titled after the Kodak advertising slogan (mentioned

Kodak: You press the button

In 1888, George Eastman wrote a simple line, “You press the button, we do the rest.” He invented the name Kodak because he liked the letter K. And of course, he figured out how to simplify photography. This is a pivotal moment in the history of the button. Eastman had

Touch command

The button was added to many household appliances in the 50s and 60s to eliminate daily drudgery, to automate daily tasks that get in the way of our leisure time with the remote control. And what’s more drudgy than washing clothes? This ad for a 1959 Hotpoint washing machine

The History: A Framework

I have a framework for thinking about the history of the button. A proper history needs a story, a narrative. A tale that steps above the facts and dates and puts the tidbits in context. The history of the button is no different. Let’s make the button a character

Buttons cross the chasm

Like most advertising messages, the phrase “push button” is a code. At the top level, it simply means “it’s easy.” Just push a button to make something incredible happen, start your laundry, place your book order, focus your camera, and so on. But there’s a deeper code underneath.

WebVisions

Note: I've combined two previous posts into this single one. Part One: Before The posts have slowed a bit as I prepare my presentation for WebVisions. I’m really enjoying the process, gathering pieces and images from the history of technology and trying to fit it into a