An object that is a button, a button that is an object: it is called GoTalk Button, and it is a hyper-simplified recording device. It records 10-second messages that can be played back at will by pushing the big, yellow button. That simple. There is not much information available about it, other than some physical characteristics such as its diameter (2 inches / 5 cm.) or its weight, (1 oz. / 28 gr.). The product is marketed as an augmentative communication device: an aid for individuals with communication difficulties. After I saw it and learned how it works, the GoTalk Button seems to me far from being a memorable object, although it has indeed some good qualities such as its lightness, portability and ease of use. Is that enough to belong to the “good design” club? I think it is enough to belong to the category of everyday silent helpers, that group of objects that do what they do well without any design claims or any intentions of becoming exceptional catalysts for someone’s life. I would be curious to know whether this object is a truly necessary aid or just a convenient gadget; something someone can not live without, or just a novelty that is used a few times and then put in the drawer to be forgotten. When I look at it, I can’t avoid questioning whether it has any other subversive (or creative) uses beyond the one it was designed for.
