Ink and Switch Interactive Homepage

Ink & Switch designed an interactive art piece titled "Tenfold: ten letters, ten years" with assistance from friends, marking a celebration of their work. The team built the piece using technology from their research, with a vision of a new computer that enhances human intelligence. This system aims to improve thinking, collaboration, and availability. Their research spans various domains, including theoretical computer science and practical user experiences, focusing on four main themes.

One theme involves software architecture that returns data to users and enables collaboration in every tool. Another theme focuses on designing software environments where people can customize tools as needed. The third theme involves discovering a dynamic medium for sketching ideas, allowing behaviors and interactions to be added naturally. The fourth theme revolves around building tools to help people explore alternatives, track history, and collaborate more effectively across different media.

The team publishes their research on their website and in academic venues, sharing essays and lab notebooks. Recent works include an essay on restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps, as well as research on new kinds of spreadsheets, local-first access control systems, dynamic environments for creative work, and self-sustaining systems for shared memory. The lab also explores how live data and computation can enhance travel plans.

Ink & Switch's research spans a wide range of domains, from theoretical computer science to practical user experiences. They focus on four primary themes, each aimed at advancing the user experience and collaboration in technology. Their work has resulted in several widely used tools that support scientific, journalistic, and creative endeavors. These tools include a digital workspace for brainstorming and organizing ideas, a library for building collaborative applications, and a self-sustaining system for shared memory.

The lab's existence is supported by various sponsors, individual and corporate donors, and grants from around the world. Despite being known primarily for their writing, members of Ink & Switch occasionally present their work at industry and academic conferences. Their team has participated in Local-First Conf in Berlin, sharing updates on projects like Patchwork, PlayBook, Automerge, and others.

Additionally, Lilith Duncan presented on Backstitch, a plugin for the Godot game engine that adds Automerge-powered version control and collaboration.