Xlab 2011: The Design of Location
Posted in: UX
Above, New York Nearest Subway app. Reporting by Christina Beard
A new wave of location-based apps are changing the way we interact with people and experience places. But what we’ve seen is just the beginning.
Xlab 2011: The Design of Location held at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center, hosted by the Soceity of Environmental Graphic Design, explored what’s currently being created with location-based technology and where we’re headed. Speakers ranged from User Interface Designers to Psychologist and the audience was just as diverse.
Speakers focused on using location-based tools to build on current wayfinding standards. By building on what already exist, there’s a greater adoption of new technologies. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, Jake Barton of Local Projects believes in evolving the pragmatics of wayfinding by creating a narrative layer on top of a rich interpretive experience. Local Projects 9/11 Memorial App, “a guide to understanding 9/11 through the eyes of who witnessed the events,” is a stunning example of creating this type of narrative layer. Video, still images and an interactive timeline guide users through a location-based tour of the site.
Augmented reality (AR) was presented in both conceptual and pragmatic ways. Greg Tran, a recent graduate of Harvard Design School, presented Mediating Mediums: The Digital 3D, an exploration of what the future of AR could look like and it’s potential affect on our experience with architecture. His work pushes the medium forward and helps us imagine what’s in our future.
Adam Carey from Imano/AcrossAir presented New York Nearest Subway, an app that helps users navigate the subway system specific to their location. Simply hold your phone in front of you and virtual signage appears in the streetscape. The utilitarian aspects of AR will undoubtedly make new places easier to navigate.
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