S/S 2013
S/S 2013 T R E N D S S/S 2013 Trends Overview
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Virtual Space Immersive Gaming Print’s Not Dead Augmented Environment Holographic Display Future Uncensored Social Media Invasion Virtual Goods Social Spending Instant Show and Tell Future
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InterActive Multi-Viewing Interact and Influence Personalised Perspective Visual Re-Merchandising Future
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Emotional Reboot Sense and Response Encouraging a Smile Friends Reconnected Online to Offline Future
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Recommendations for Brands
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ADDIN G M O M E N T U M TO YOU R B R A N D FLUX is an online trend forecasting and consultancy service imparting the latest in technological advances to its clients. Offering the most contemporary and influential digital information updates from around the globe, Flux provides its clients with cutting-edge consumer and market insights.
FLUX is dedicated to keeping ahead of what is new and what is next in technological advances. FLUX provides an instant synopsis of global technology trends using considered analysis. FLUX is driven to empower businesses from all industries with leading consumer insights. FLUX guarantees customised consultancy services to enable successful business growth.
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S / S 2 013 TRENDS VIRTUAL S PAC E
IMMERSIVE GAMING
PRINT\S NOT DEAD
AUGMENTED ENVIRONMENT
HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY
SOCIAL MEDIA INVASION
VIRTUAL GOODS
SOCIAL SPENDING
INSTANT SHOW AND TELL
UNCENSO R E D
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INTER AC T I V E
MULTI-VIEWING
INTERACT AND INFLUENCE
PERSONALISED PERSPECTIVE
VISUAL RE-MERCHANDISING
SENSE AND RESPONSE
ENCOURAGING A SMILE
FRIENDS RECONNECTED
ONLINE TO OFFLINE
EMOT I O N A L R E B OOT
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V I RT UA L SPACE
Constant advancements in 3D technology are increasingly blurring the lines between the virtual world and reality. Developments in realistic 3D holography technology and augmented reality are increasingly enabling consumers to become a part of and interact within a virtual 3D environment. Augmented reality technology allows digital information to be visualized as a physical realworld environment, often enhancing our realistic view. An area currently utilizing 3-dimensional technology is entertainment but there are many prospects for such technology to enhance our everyday activities for purposes such as ease and convenience.
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IMMERSIVE GAMING
PRINT\S NOT DEAD
AUGMENTED ENVIRONMENT
HOLOGRAPHIC DISPLAY
Developments in realistic 3D holography technology and augmented reality are increasingly enabling consumers to become a part of and interact within a virtual 3D environment.
IMME RS I V E GA M I N G
XBOX KINECT
IMMERSIVE RAIL SHOOTER
Games consoles that allow the user to feel a part of their gaming environment have always been highly covettable within the video games market, noticably since the launch of the Nintendo Wii in 2006. To further immerse consumers into the virtual world of gaming, Microsoft have recently launched Kinect for Xbox 360. Described as “a controller-free gaming and computer experience” the console enables users to control and interact without the need to touch a controller. The device features a sensor which provides full-body 3D motion capture, facial recognition, and voice recognition capabilities, resulting in a game fully controlled by human actions.
David Arenou’s prototype ‘Immersive Rail Shooter’ offers a preview into potential location-based gaming, giving physical objects a tangible interface dimension. Augmented reality technology transforms the player’s immediate surroundings into an interactive gaming environment, using set action markers and hiding places positioned onto personal furniture.
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PRINT’S N OT D E A D
WALLPAPER MAGAZINE
UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON IT’S MY TIME
Augmented reality technology is an accomplished tool for transforming a flat object into a visually stimulating 3-dimensional vision. Combined with advanced object recognition, information can become interactive and digitally usable. The use of augmented reality in print has the potential to assist in bridging the gap between printed information and the internet in an exciting new approach. January 2010’s technology themed issue of Wallpaper Magazine employed this technique to illustrate its articles in an appropriately engaging manner. Readers simply held the magazine’s pages in front of a webcam to trigger both videos and animations.
United Colors of Benetton invited consumers to aim their printed advertisements at webcams to experience their ‘It’s My Time’ campaign. This produced access to exclusive content, such as behind-the-scenes videos of the brand’s casting competition winners. Both of these models demonstrate an advance in the way consumers can combine reality with computer-generated technology, for either entertainment or knowledge purposes.
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AUGM E N T E D E N V I RO N M E N T
LAYAR REALITY BROWSER
STREET MUSEUM APP
Augmented reality can also be used via smart mobile device apps on location to provide users with information about the environment. The Layar Reality Browser app shows the user what is around them by displaying real time digital information on top of the real world through the users mobile phone camera. Over 500 layers are published on the Layar Platform, with over 2000 more currently in development. The app assists the user with daily living scenarios such as finding a place to eat, or showing which bands are playing where now.
The Museum of London’s Street Museum app is a recent example of a visually dynamic AR application. It provides users with a unique persepective of old and new London using images from the museum’s archives to showcase significant occasions in London’s history. The user can select a destination from the map or GPS to locate an area close to them, then when holding up their camera to the present day street scene an image from the past will appear besides an information button for historical facts.
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HOLOGR A P H I C D I S P L AY
MUSION EYELINER SPEEDO LZR LASER LAUNCH
SONY RAYMODELER 360 AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC DISPLAY
Musion Eyeliner is a high definition 3D holographic video projection system allowing a 3-dimensional moving life-size hologram to appear within a live stage setting. Responsible for launching products via hologram events, such as the Speedo LZR laser in which Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps appeared on stage in London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo all in one day. This revealed Speedo’s new product to an entire global media audience, yet with the ease and convenience of a video presentation. Musion’s Eyeliner system was also used to create Chris Cairns’ ‘Neurosonics Live’ performance. Multiple holograms of Beardyman’s head appeared to be on stage reacting to the musician’s and instruments. The system relies heavily on audience perspective and is not yet fully functional as a 3D vision from all angles.
Sony’s RayModeler 3D display is a 360 degree autostereoscopic prototype. LED light sources allow the viewer to see the image from all angles: objects like faces and people appear realistic giving viewers a sense of depth because the left and right eyes are seeing different images. The 3D display includes motion-sensor capabilities allowing it to react to human movements and gestures.
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V I RT UA L SPACE F UT U R E
AUGMENTED (HYPER)REALITY: DOMESTIC ROBOCOP
AUGMENTED (HYPER)REALITY: AUGMENTED CITY 3D
The previous trend drivers demonstrate how augmented reality and hologram technology is currently being utilized for entertainment purposes, but is progressively becoming a tool that consumers can use to enhance their every day lives. Location based augmented reality already has the ability for consumers to navigate their way around retail stores, and in the future could potentially preview and buy any product they see.
Keiichi Matsuda’s Augmented (hyper)Reality: Domestic Robocop video forecasts the way in which 3D holograms and AR could be used in our impending future. A kitchen is transformed with touchable interactive holograms: advertisements, recipe menus, and social networking. His vision of a future Augmented City expands this idea to a fully immersive human-computer interface environment. The imagined future world is overlaid with digital information that can be altered and personalised with the click of a virtual button.
“Seeing the current interest from especially the retail, tourism and gaming industry we are sure this will fuel the growth of the Augmented Reality medium even further.” Raimo van der Klein, CEO of Layar
“An immersive interface may become as much part of the world we inhabit as the buildings around us.” Keiichi Matsuda, Creator, Augmented (hyper)Reality video
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U N C E N S ORED
Important developments in digital technology are responsible for the increaseing amount of time people spend social networking online. Smart mobile phone technology and wi-fi are both key tools enabling people to share information with their peers via online platforms, whilst on-the-go. More recently community sites are incorporating geo-location technology, leaving no information left private. What we’re doing, where and with who, is now information given out freely on a daily basis to both friends and strangers. Online networking is becominga place to discuss and review purchases, or even to share gifts. Brands are quickly adapting to consumers’ online socialising habits, and the most savvy of them are utilizing this information, to benefit their companies.
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SOCIAL MEDIA INVASION
VIRTUAL GOODS
SOCIAL SPENDING
INSTANT SHOW AND TELL
What we’re doing, where and with who, is now information given out freely on a daily basis to both friends and strangers.
SOCIA L M E D I A I N VAS I O N
4FOOD
With copius amounts of new social networking sites appearing, devices such as the Flipboard app have been designed to help users digest the increasing flow of online comments, ‘likes’ and tweets. The free iPad app acts as a personalized social magazine, updating the user with news, photos and links that their friends are sharing on Facebook and Twitter. The user can share articles and photos, comment on posts, and like or favourite anything. In addition, the app offers articles from Flipboard’s own collections from some of the most interesting sources on the web.
Similarly, a location condensing social networks into one outlet is organic fast food restaurant 4Food. The NYC eaterie encourages the use of social media: a 240-squarefoot media wall in the restaurant streams check-ins from Foursquare, whilst broadcasting users tweets and videos; staff use iPads to take orders, or customers can place their own order using iPad hubs. Customers can also create and pre-order personalised food online, with the opportunity to earn 25 cents each time another customer orders your created burger. The most popular customercreated burgers are ranked on a weekly leaderboard, as well as the most check-ins. 4Food’s promotional strategy also relies heavily on social networking, cutting marketing costs whilst creating brand loyalty with users.
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VIRTUAL G OO D S
FACEBOOK CREDITS GIFTCARDS
STARBUCKS CARD FACEBOOK APPLICATION GIVE A GIFT
Popular social networking sites are becoming more innovative in the way that they earn money from users. In September, Facebook Giftcards launched for it’s virtual currency Credits in American retail store Target. Previously only available online for those with credit cards of PayPal accounts, the pre-paid cards will help make the Credits currency available to everyone. The cards can be purchased in $15, $25 and $50 increments, and so far are Credits are available to use in 150 Facebook games. Facebook’s official Credits page includes a Target sore finder, to encourage the use of the giftcards.
Facebook members can credit friends’ Starbucks cards without leaving the site, using the updated Starbucks Card Facebook application ‘Give a Gift’ feature. Users can load between $5 and $500 to a friend’s registed Starbucks Card, choose a theme, pen a personal note and then share their generosity via a status update. Similarly Amazon have updated their Gift Card Creator with a Facebook option. By connecting to their Facebook account, the user can select the gift recipient from their friend’s list, the amount of Amazon credit and a delivery date. Alongside the gift, a personalised message and card design will appear on the friends Facebook Wall. This feature further establishes the social networking sites connection with Amazon as since July, Amazon has offered integrated Facebook Connect to suggest purchase recommendations based on user’s interests and ‘likes’ featured on their profile.
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SOCIA L S P E N D I N G
DIESEL CAM
GOTRYITON.COM APP
Social shopping is becoming an integral part of the consumer experience to generations accustomed to social networking. Diesel stores in Spain have recently introduced Diesel Cam, an interactive installation that allows shoppers to photograph themselves and immediately post the images to their Facebook profiles. Users can try on clothing and ask advice from their Facebook friends about the garments they should purchase. A touch screen monitor uses Facebook Connect to upload photographs that come complete with a Diesel logo, providing a great advertising opportunity for the brand.
GotryIton.com is an online community where members can upload photographs of themselves wearing outfits that they are considering purchasing. Users have the option to share the images with the entire community, or just their friends to receive opinions on whether they should wear/buy a garment. Community members can vote “wear it” or “change it.” The mobile phone app allows the user to receive feedback from within a store fitting room before even purchasing an outfit.
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INSTANT S HOW A N D T E L L
JCPENNEY BACK-TO-SCHOOL HAUL VIDEO
SWIPELY.COM
Hauling videos have become a popular way for consumers to show off their purchases. Homemade videos are uploaded by users onto video hosting sites, where viewers can comment on the haul. Some have received so many views that they are impossible for brands to ignore. Juicystar07’s Good Morning America Forever 21 view count is just shy of one-and-half million. Fashion brand JC Penney seized an oportunity and provided six girls with gift cards worth up to $1000, to create back-toschool haul videos. Some were given free transportation and lodging to shop. One hauler is Annie St. Johnaged 17, she says her haul was self-edited and not reviewed by the brand: “They told us to be honest and give honest opinions.”
Swipely has made use of this emerging trend by creating an online platform for consumers to share their purchases and reviews. Members of the site automatically share purchases by linking their credit or debit card to their account, or letting the service grab purchase information from e-mail receipts. Users can then comment on friend’s purchases and view reviews and ratings. The service also includes support for geo-location, so swipes are tied to their specific business location.
“It’s one of the most innovative things we’re doing this fall. All of these haulers have followers and friends. That’s how you start the ball rolling.” Mike Boylson, Chief Marketing Officer, JCPenney 16
U N C E N SORED F UT U R E
CALVIN KLIEN JEANS
WEREWARD
In this uncensored age, consumers are constantly bombarded with advertising images. Some brands are beginning to use new methods to set their adverts apart from the rest, encouraging consumers to discover content for themselves. Most notably, for their Fall 2010 campaign Calvin Klein Jean’s replaced their usually racy billboard posters with interactive QR (quick response) codes. Using a QR scanning app, viewers could take a photo on their smart phone to receive an exclusive 40 second video featuring 5 models-of-the-moment. Afterwards the code could be shared on social networking sites. Banana Republic’s London store recently launched Sneak Peek, an interactive window to preview looks from the forthcoming collection. Users could look through a small gap and run their hand across the window to view the exclusive content. The element of mystery invites consumers to discover content, resulting in a personal involvement with the brand.
Social networking rewards are an effective tool for ensuring customer loyalty. Foursquare check-ins offer loyal customers exclusive ‘Specials’: points, Mayorships and badges. Each business can customise the offers and discounts given to people with the most checkins. WeReward is an integrated social networking app that pushes this concept even further. Check-ins and completed tasks earn users’ points, which are worth a penny each. Businesses require users to review and share their experiences, gaining maximum exposure via social networking. Domino’s Pizza offered free pizzas to Mayors, for example. Domino’s UK praised the use of social media campaigns together with the innovative Foursquare rewards promotion for helping the pizza chain increase revenues by 29%, or an extra $26 million.
“WeReward enables Domino’s to connect with consumers in a unique way: to create awareness for our stores when buyers are nearby, drives social sharing and gives people a fun way to interact with the brand.” Dennis Maloney, VP of Multi Media Marketing for Domino’s Pizza. 17
IN T E R AC TIVE
Retail experiences are becoming increasingly interactive for consumers, through a variety of medias. Whether it comes from using online video catalogues, store windows or promotional campaigns, customers are progressively expecting a personalised experience of a brand. Developments in screen technology such as augmented reality and motion-tracking capabilities are enabling an environment where consumers can interact with products thus becoming personally connected to a brand. Companies recognising this need, are exploring how they can take consumers’ involvement further, and offering customers the opportunity to influence a campaign or product.
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MULTI-VIEWING
INTERACT AND INFLUENCE
PERSONALISED PERSPECTIVE
VISUAL RE-MERCHANDISING
Developments in screen technology such as augmented reality and motion-tracking capabilities are enabling an environment where consumers can interact with products thus becoming personally connected to a brand.
MULTI - V I E W I N G
GOOGLE TV
SPOT 411 FOXPOP APP
Viewers have increasingly been looking to personalised programming - having the control to choose when and where they watch something. The introduction of online television catch-up services have allowed viewers to fit TV into their lives with ease. Consumers have access to many entertainment applications yet require multiple devices to screen them. The birth of Google TV aims to connect these devices to provide a multi-layered TV and internet experience. A TV becomes a hub of entertainment and a place to connect via social networking. Whilst watching a programme, users can simultaneously tweet using their mobile phone as a controller. A homepage allows the viewer to personalise their favourite sites.
Spot411 is an interactive entertainment company which developed the first downloadable iPhone and laptop application FoxPop to listen and sync to the movie that the user is watching on their TV. Related facts and trivia automatically pop-up on your device and Spot411 allows users to share what they are viewing via social networking.
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INTERACT A N D I N F L U E N C E
UNIQLO LUCKY COUNTER
OLD SPICE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Uniqlo’s ‘Lucky Counter’ promotional campaign is a perfect example of how to engage with consumers, by allowing them to communicate with the brand in order to affect the product outcome. To tie in with Uniqlo UK’s e-commerce relaunch, the clothing company reduced the price of a garment each time the product was tweeted about. The Lucky Counter webpage offered ten garments for customer’s to choose from, and by simply clicking on it a pre-written tweet appears to which the user could add their own message and watch the price fall. One coat originally costing £59.99 was reduced by 66.7%, so it went on sale for just £19.90.
Comparative is Old Spice’s social campaign in July. The brand’s well-known character began delivering personal video replies to comments on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. In the first 24 hours alone they had completed 120 custom made videos, not only to the general public but to twitter’s most followed people- celebrities and bloggers. The potential for retweeting and blogging resulted in millions of views and a Twitter Trending Topic. A hugely successful social and viral strategy as consumers became personally invested in the brand as they actually became a part of the world it had created, and a part of the advertising content.
“Customers seem to really want to engage with us, and it’s great as the campaign is so transparent and immediately dynamic, so they can see their tweets actually making a difference.” Amy Howarth, Head of Marketing, Uniqlo UK
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PERSO N A L I S E D P E RS P E C T I V E
THE WILDERNESS DOWNTOWN
DIESEL A HUNDRED LOVERS
Interactive music video’s are a perfect tool for connecting your product to consumers, whether the product is a song or clothing. The Wilderness Downtown is an interactive film created by Chris Milk for Arcade Fire’s single “We Used to Wait”. Using a combination of Google Maps and Streetview, the film is personalised to each viewer based on their childhood postcode. Multiple screens incorporate images of the viewer’s hometown into the video, before animations are layered over it. The unique experience for each viewer creates an emotional tie to the product.
Diesel’s A Hundred Lovers was an interactive online video catalogue showcasing their Spring/Summer 2010 collection. The video appears as a music video, in which multiple models wearing clothing from the collection dance to Josep’s song ‘A Hundred Lovers’. Viewers can interact by clicking on arrows corresponding to garments for more product and purchase information, as with the dancer’s to find out about them. The result is a fun and playful way to engage in retail whilst experiencing the brand.
“It’s essentially human nostalgia produced by the most advanced technology available today.” Michael Castillo, Creator, The Wilderness Downtown
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VISUAL R E - M E RC H A N D I S I N G
TISSOT TOUCH AT SELFRIDGES
DIESEL DESTROYED JEANS WINDOW BERLIN
Interactive windows are introducing a fun and playful element to the retail experience with the assistance of developing technologies. Tissot T-Touch collaborated with Selfridges London in May to create an interactive video installation. Using Augmented Reality technology customer’s were encouraged to try on Tissot watches in a virtual mirror. Staff were on hand to assist and provide customer’s with a free paper wristband, enabling them to visualise watches on themselves via a touchscreen. A variety of product styles and options were available to choose from.
During Berlin Fashion Week 2009 Diesel unveiled their Destroyed Jeans campaign window. In keeping with their theme of destruction, passers-by were invited to control a thunder storm to devastate the store window. Motion sensor capabilities allowed the customer to move virtual objects on a screen by moving arms and hands, influencing real objects and actions in the window.
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I N T E R ACTIVE F UT U R E
TAT OPEN INNOVATION: THE FUTURE OF SCREEN TECHNOLOGY
INTEL INTELLIGENT DIGITAL SIGNAGE
Each of these interactive trend driver’s rely heavily on developments in screen technology to involve users with the product or a brand. Touchscreen technology and motion-tracking capabilities are successful tools to connect consumers to a completely new interactive experience. As a result of advancing software technologies becoming relatively more affordable, the potential for the future of interfacing through multiple devices and surroundings becomes a reality. TAT Open Innovation: The Future of Screen Technology video showcases an average day envisioned for 2014. The video explores a world in which almost any surface can be used to communicate information. Notable features include: extendable mobile device screens; mirrors reporting personalised news stories as the user brushes their teeth; and transparent screens with rotatable images for different perspectives.
Intel’s Intelligent Digital Signage Concept is a 7-foot LCD display with holographic glass, that demonstrates how technology can enhance the retail experience with a multi-touch multi-user interface. Designed to impact customer loyalty by providing targeted, interactive content to consumers, this is the type of tool that could potentially be used in stores to engage with shoppers in the future.
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E M OT I O NAL R E B OOT
Expressive face-to-face conversations between people have been substituted by communicating through email, SMS and instant messaging. These convenient means of communication are an essential way for people to keep in touch due to progressively busy lifestyles. A combination of this and key developments in mobile internet devices, has resulted in a huge increase in the amount of time spent social networking online. In reaction, numerous designs have been developed with the intention of recreating a more emotive connection between people, enhanced by digital technology. Similarly, ideas are being produced to make consumers reconsider how they can interact with technology on an emotional level, and how computer-generated designs can respond to human touch and feelings.
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SENSE AND RESPONSE
ENCOURAGING A SMILE
FRIENDS RECONNECTED
ONLINE TO OFFLINE
Everyday activities that would have once required human interaction, such a buying a train ticket, have increasingly been replaced with unresponsive technology.
SENSE A N D R E S P O N S E
EXMOBABY
SMART SECOND SKIN
Developments in materials responsive to human touch have resulted in functional fabrics able to communicate information. Biomedical engineering company Exmovere have announced the release of their vital sign monitoring infant sleepwear for 2011. Exmobaby is a conductive biosensor pajama developed for remote monitoring of heart rate, emotional state and activity level. Each onesie will come with a safe, rechargeable wireless transceiver that transmits data to a nearby PC or mobile phone in order to keep parents informed of a baby’s status.
The Smart Second Skin dress by sensory architect Jenny Tillotson and the Science Fashion Lab, is a multisensorial garment that shifts colors according to the wearer’s biometrics. Smart Second Skin seeks to respond dynamically to the wearer’s mood, reacting accordingly with scents aimed at enhancing good environments and altering bad ones. The dress mimics the body’s circulation system, the senses and scent glands. Veins and arteries flow freely as the interactive fabric emits a selection of scents depending on your mood.
“This continuous monitoring in real time will allow for an ‘emotional umbilical cord’ between mother and child.” David Bychkov, Exmovere CEO
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ENCOUR AG I N G A S M IL E
SONY SMILE SHUTTER
SMILE HAPPY
Facial recognition software technology has been developed to recognise and respond to certain emotions. Sony’s Smile Shutter feature uses facial recognition software to detect when a subject is smiling and automatically captures the photograph. The user can adjust the shutter to detect differing degrees of smiles. The feature is available in a number of Sony products, from their range digital cameras to the HDR-CX11E camcorder. Smile Shutter enables the camcorder to capture a photograph when someone smiles even whilst the camcorder is recording. Most recently the feature has been added to Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot mobile phones.
Some designs even encourage and reward the user for expressing an emotion. In June Unilever and Sapient Nitro launched Share Happy, a smile-activated vending machine. Using facial recognition technology combined with augmented reality, the machine can determine age, gender and emotion. An interactive ‘smile-o-meter’ rates users’ smiles; and those with a big enough smile are rewarded with a free Wall’s icecream of their choice. Via built-in 3G and a touchscreen users can immediately share ther smile photograph on Facebook. Share Happy will be touring top sunny locations around the world for 18 months.
‘It offers a revolutionary new way for consumers to buy ice cream and, simultaneously, a revolutionary brand experience’. Ian Maskell, Global Brand Development Director for Wall’s at Unilever
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FRIEN D S R E C O N N E C T E D
GPS COMPASS PHONE
OLINDA DAB RADIO
Social networking, email, and text messaging have steadily replaced more personal expressive forms of communication. HaYeon Yoo’s Compass Phone aims to reconnect people via an alternative method of communication, delivering a more poetic and aesthetic experience. The mobile device does not support any verbal communication, but only a GPS function to lead the users to each other. It measures the distance between two people in real-time and then converts it to the time it takes for them to meet each other by either transport or time unit. A compass is hidden underneath the digit display, where the centre always indicates the user’s position and its needle indicates the other person’s direction.
Olinda is a prototype digital radio with the users social network built in, showing the stations their friends are listening to. Six lights on Olinda show when a close friend is listening to the radio, using WiFi and BBC’s website for sharing ‘now playing’ information Radio Pop. Each light is a button, enabling the user to tune in to listen to what their friend’s are, resulting in a shared experience. Each contact has a designated light so the user can write or draw on the radio to personalise it. Additionally, a connecting interface allows the option of adding physical extras to the base radio, such as an iPod dock.
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ONLINE TO O F F L I N E
HAYEON YOO: REPUTATION CHECK INSTRUMENT
DISTANCE LAB: SOCIAL KNITWORKING
A number of designs have been created in reaction to the vast amount of time people spend writing messages and comments on the internet. The Reputation Check instrument prototype by HaYeon Yoo is inspired by a side effect of internet communication: “people’s obsession with checking their reputation in a blog and social networking culture.” The instrument considers how to perceive and interact with the ‘comments’ which are private, informal but influential data. Two types of tangible interfaces have been explored: one acoustic and one visual. The acoustic instrument reads aloud comments, with the speech speed representing the volume of traffic. Alternatively the graphic displays the comments in text form and the amount of pixels correspond to the website’s traffic.
Social Knitworking is a concept by Distance Lab that enables users to reflect on their online friendships through text-based communication. The intention is to provide a way to celebrate online social interactions, which are typically trapped on a screen and stored as electronic data. A computer programme analzes the online interactions in an instant messaging or email dialogue. Based on detected patterns, such as frequently used phrases and emotional characteristics, the programme outputs an abstract knitting patten. The pattern is uploaded into a computer-controlled knitting machine where it is materialized into a garment. Online friendships become a tangible, tactile surface offline, providing the owner with a sentimental keepsake.
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E M OT I ONAL R E B OOT FUTURE
IM+ 3.4 SPEECH-TO-TEXT
OWN VOICE FOR OVI MAPS
Emotive technological devices designed as a reaction to unresponsive digital communication are becoming increasingly demanded. Consumers expectations of a personalised experience that is also efficient and accessible, suggests a number of ways this trend could progress in the future. Presently, speech-to-text software is widely available for computers, and more recently as smart mobile phone applications. IM+ 3.4 is an iPhone app that can transform user’s speech into instant messages and tweets, using speech recognition capabilites. Such software comes in a choice of male or female voices, but mostly sounds very robotic. A device recently designed to allow users to record their own voice is Own Voice for Ovi Maps. The downloadable app, compatible with Nokia phones, lets users create a personal voice pack by recording various navigation phrases. The recording is saved with their name before being uploaded to the Own
Voice website. Recordings can be shared with friends via Facebook and Twitter and then downloaded for use. This personalization adds an emotional attachment to technological devices communicating messages from friends. Personalized avatar-generators such as Digimi create visual representations of users online and are capable of speaking up to 60 seconds of a users’ prerecorded voice. Mostly popular within virtual gaming, this technology could potentially become a part of everyday life. Friends’ voices pre-loaded into social networks and mobile phones so instead of reading written text you hear a familiar voice perhaps. This would restore emotional connections through convenient methods of communication when unable to speak to a friend faceto-face.
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R E C O M MENDATIONS F O R B R ANDS
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