It turns out that the technology that has changed our lives so much over the last few decades is just getting started. The documentary Connecting gives us some insights into the future of interaction design and the ‘internet of things’ that is expected to revolutionise our lives.
The 18 minute “Connecting” documentary is an exploration of the future of Interaction Design and User Experience from some of the industry’s thought leaders. As the role of software is catapulting forward, Interaction Design is seen to be not only increasing in importance dramatically, but also expected to play a leading role in shaping the coming “Internet of things.” Ultimately, when the digital and physical worlds become one, humans along with technology are potentially on the path to becoming a “super organism” capable of influencing and enabling a broad spectrum of new behaviors in the world.
Current estimates reckon that 87% of the world’s population use mobile phones. Most people who use these gadgets probably don’t spend too much time thinking about the concept of ‘interaction design’, or IxD, and how it influences their everyday live. IxD is the design of digital interfaces and devices, and is of key importance in our increasingly digital world. Connecting looks at IxD and the possibilities it presents for creating more natural forms of interaction with technology.
At the cutting edge of the developments in this field is the ‘internet of things’. This refers to the creation of intelligent objects that will not only have sensors to better improve their performance, but also be able to communicate with each other. A simple example might be a billboard that shows different ads according to the people who look at it, but it can get a lot more complex than that.
It is expected that in the future internet-of-things-world, our shampoo bottle will know when its contents are almost empty and then send an alert to our phone or put another order in to our preferred internet shopping service. All these sensors will be connected up to form a network. So, you arrive at work and your computer gives you a wink and comments on your glossy locks.
Connecting explains some of the ideas and theories behind creating good interaction design and the possibilities provided by the Internet of Things. It is a heady brew indeed, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy learning more in this short but sweet film.
The documentary is 18 minutes long and was made by Bassett & Partners, a brand and design strategy company who use an ethnographic understanding of people to look for original insights into our behaviour, personality and emotions. The film was so popular it was chosen as a Staff Pick by the folks at Vimeo.
