I thought it would be productive to moodboard and analyse some examples of not only future kind of tech I think would be good to derive inspiration from but also kind of tertiary examples of stuff that could work incorporated into tech. Some examples might be a little more abstract while some maybe more grounded.
One of the first places my mind went to was actually looking at kind of older tech that tried to embody the future. I've shown an example of a TV from the 70s and you can see immediately how it tries to emulate the future. I feel like we don't see that often these days. I think it's just such an optimistic and unique perspective on a product or a service. Something about how tactile and how real and physical it is really brings the idea that the future has already passed. When you look at this image, it feels like the future really has passed us by. Not only are we living in the future now but we've actually surpassed it somehow. I think using this kind of thing in some sense could be a really productive avenue to go down.
When I first started the ideation for the kind of interactive wall OS, one of the first ideas that kind of just sprung up in me was a Flubber, this idea of a blob that moved around. I don't particularly know why Flubber. When I look at it now, I feel like it's got that kind of real trendy glass effect, that kind of glass morphism, and it's kind of rubbery shine. I think how it moves as well. It's not that it's natural to us but it's natural in the sense that you would see it in the real world. It's kind of slimy and bouncy and almost full of life. It definitely has a playful touch to it that a lot of tech seems to be lacking.
I think this could be a really strong way to go with this project. One of the biggest reasons for that is that it kind of leverages what we've covered in the previous project all about micro interactions. I think this is very rich in imagery.
I feel like this one relates very strongly to the first point about that kind of vintage future tech and the effect it has by being so physical. Whereas now we obviously live in a very digital age, often especially on X and Twitter and such, you'll see these really tactile Figma designs, making that digital component look and feel super physical. There's always something really nice and satisfying and, I guess, human about interacting with these kinds of components, almost like flubber, where it is natural. It's a natural thing for us to want to press a button that is a button, that has depth.
I think maybe incorporating this somewhere within my future living project could add a real human element to it. I also feel this is the direction design should be heading, away from that flatter feeling, not lifeless but a lot less going on and, dare I say, less human kind of design that we do see today.
Holograms represent something genuinely compelling as an interaction model, the complete removal of the screen as a physical object. The idea that information, imagery and interface could exist in open space without a surface to contain it challenges almost every assumption we currently make about how we interact with technology at home. The challenge of prototyping something like this is real but that does not diminish what it offers as a design reference and a direction worth understanding.
There's definitely potential there, even as a small aspect, a small feature within my final deliverable. There are many examples of holograms done horribly, and a few that do it very well. I think we see a lot of the same stuff in media over and over and that might give them a bad rep so I definitely want to give them the kind of consideration that they do deserve. It seems a very obvious direction to go.
