As a point of departure, Matt Webb introduces us to the concept of Generation C, a generation not defined by age but by a mindset shaped by the internet. People in Generation C are connected in communities, are creatively involved, and like to control their surroundings.
Designing products that appeal to Generation C involves looking at the experience that products produce and treating experience as a design surface on which to work. Using entertaining examples, Matt illustrates the colors in the experience pallet. He discusses the enjoyment we get out of watching familiar things happen, why we like to work with semi-autonomous things, and the pleasure we get from conceiving complex activities as a single object.
This design philosophy tends to blur the boundaries between hardware, software, and the Web. Concepts like desktop widgets can be abstracted to new products that transcend the computer desktop. Pixels can become plastic.
Matt Webb is a principal of the creative design consultancy Schulze and Webb where his work has included material prototyping for Nokia, Web strategy for the BBC, and exploration into the future uses of RFID. S&W works in near-term product R&D and, as embodied in the USB puppet Availabot, has a special focus on the social life of stuff. Matt speaks on interaction design and technology, is co-author of Mind Hacks, cognitive psychology for a general audience, and builds polite social software and Web toys. He can be found at Interconnected and in London.
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This free podcast is from our Emerging Technology Conference series.