Inventing the future of public computing surfaces

In this age of mobile computing, people carry around different types of screens for their own personal use. As prices continue to drop, however, we'll become surrounded by increasing numbers of interactive public screens. While these screens often will simply push information and ads, they could serve far more useful purposes by allowing us to borrow them temporarily for our own needs.

At Fluxible, we'll take a look at this potential “public computing” future. What types of new experiences can we both expect and imagine — and what challenges will we face along the way?

As the number of screens around us grows, the way information is designed will need to change. With each individual screen trying to grab our attention, we might respond by learning to ignore them to avoid information overload. To counter this possibility, could we imagine new and complex screen arrangements that act to our advantage by addressing real and immediate needs? This desire to find new communication strategies in a future attention economy is both a challenge and a great opportunity for designers. We need to start thinking beyond individual screens right now, if we want to invent for this inevitable future.

Designing multi-screen experiences that support personal, mobile, and public computing will require new skills and methods. When imagining future user experiences, it's essential to explore many ideas quickly and inexpensively. The RIM design team has a vast experience in sketching, low- to hi-fi prototyping, film making and storytelling that we apply to UX design, where each concept might require a new approach for communicating within a given project’s available time and budget. At Fluxible, we'll share insights into how we've chosen these methods, through stories about some of our more successful concepts that have spread their visions of the future globally.