A presentation at Pixel Pioneers in in Bristol, UK by Simon Collison
The Internet of Natural Things Simon Collison @colly
Achmelvich
Part one /
Research
Introduction
Embracing technology
The new image of nature
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818
Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818
Nottingham Trent University peregrine I live my life in the citeh…
British Birds by mydigitalearth
Merlin Bird ID from Cornell Lab
Song Sleuth from Wildlife Acoustics
iNaturalist
Merlin Bird ID (Cornell Lab), and British Trees (Woodland Trust)
Echo Meter Touch 2 (footage from BBC Springwatch)
Brian Suda — Sensors and Sensibility
CAT S61 smartphone
Senses Research
Te c h n o
Te c h n o biophilia B
Design biophilia c B
Some brain science
Restorative reprieves
Senses / Mental stimulus Research
what3words
what3words
what3words
3WordPhoto
3WordPhoto
Ordnance Survey subscription, AR mode
Looksee app / British geological Survey
Viewranger
Urban Good London National Park City map
Senses / Mental stimulus / Place Research
Animal Tracker app
50,000 wild animals equipped with GPS units
Ospreys of Newfoundland Facebook community
Te c h n o biophilia
Firewatch
Future Unfolding
Farmville
Grand The " Auto V
Dorothy Howard —photo from Nottingham Post
A new beauty
I am SO GORGEOUS
@anna_debenham I’m just a scrag — but I’m YOUR scrag
Senses / Mental stimulus / Place Connections / Data / Simulation Research
Nose to Tail measure
Nose to Tail measure
Only 10% have ever played in wild places Kids and nature Only a third know that acorns come from trees Less than 50% have found frogspawn in the wild Every Child Wild survey by The Wildlife Trusts, 2015
Cornell Lab’s Bird Academy
Bird Sounds, an AI experiment from Google
Naturebytes
Senses / Mental stimulus / Place / Knowledge Research Connections / Data / Simulation
Part two /
Development
Senses / Mental stimulus / Place
Connections / Data / Simulation / Knowledge
The web / Nature
Space / Light / Time
Research
Material
Physics
is a language of
light
Music
is a language of
time
Architecture
is a language of
space
Senses / Mental stimulus / Place Connections / Data / Simulation / Knowledge The web / Nature Space / Light / Time Research Material how fancy
Guiding principles
Ideation Scriptwrite the experience, with real words Explore the highest-level experiences Don’t think within rectangles: think without edges Consider intentions and resulting events Think about designing moments in time 1 Bullet points!
Physicality Be spatially aware of what you’re building Visualise it as spaces, with rooms and doorways Imagine it in 3D, and draw how that feels Design an open-ended experience, find natural boundaries Imagine someone moving through your experience 2
Purpose Less tasks or goals; more open learning Encourage exploration without being too abstract Help people accomplish new and unexpected things Build a lens through which the world can be seen differently 3 Is this… powerpoint? Bullets
Choice Don’t paralyse with too much choice Offer the right amount at the right time Trigger choices in the right context Provide clear, simple, minimal prompts Define realistic expectations 4 I chose bullets
To n e
Cra
"
machine personality gently, and cautiously
Know when to use humour, and don’t overdo it
Offer warmth, but avoid over-familiarity
Be kind, patient, and act as guide
Be forgiving, and allow the system to be forgiven too
5
I learned nothing from
that TED book
Trust Set out to improve lives; avoid guilt or addiction Make as few demands as possible Avoid ambiguity and unguided assumptions Catch errors before they happen, be honest when they do Allow consent 6 FFS
Learning Create experiences that are open and inviting Consider multi-sensory inputs Increase learning through repeated experience Build system knowledge through habit Offer gently persuasive feedback, non-addictive rewards 7 WTF When will it end?
Onboarding Get started quickly Unobtrusive guidance, always available Slow and thoughtful steps; a little at a time Encourage discovery, ensure early results Support failure and gently correct 8 I bet they’re really sick of bullets
Notifications Quietly serve without continuous distraction Manageable, concise, polite, and actionable Contextual to time, place, and learned routine Consider levels of urgency, and alternatives to sound If a notification doesn’t improve quality of life, kill it 9 zzz
Context This is everything! 10 OK last one!
OS
A B C D OS Default apps
A B C D OS
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 OS Third party apps
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 OS
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 OS “Spaces Compatible”
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 OS Spaces Work Home Study Social
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 B D D 1 1 3 1 3 1 9 6 10 10 Spaces OS Work Home Study Social A D A D
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 B D D 1 1 3 1 3 1 9 6 10 10 Spaces OS Work Home Study Social A D A D
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 B D D 1 1 3 1 3 1 9 6 10 10 Spaces OS Work Home Study Social A D A D
A B C D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 D B D 1 1 3 1 3 1 9 6 10 10 Spaces OS Work Home Study Social A D A D … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
1 D B 1 9 10 Spaces OS Study … … … … …
A B C D
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11
D
1
1
3
1
3
6
10
Work Home Social
A
D
A
D … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Spaces compatibility Guides app contains modules that enhance appropriate Spaces. You control which Spaces the app will enhance. Nature Fitness Indoor Explorer
Nearby Recent There’s a popular park two blocks East View popular sightings near here Shana pinged from Southern Cuba 4 new images from your backyard camera Save Fave Open 23 observations submitted to Movebank
‘Place-onas’
Big questions
The future?
Our computers should be like our childhood: an invisible foundation that is quickly forgotten but always with us, and effortlessly used throughout our lives. Mark Weiser / The World is Not a Desktop, 1993 “ ”
A new environment
Please subscribe!
At a time when we’re rightly exposing the negative impact of technology, the ever-optimistic Simon Collison is exploring the benefits, particularly where digital tools reconnect us to the living world and enrich our lives.
To begin, Simon will lift the lid on his research, challenging our idea of nature and its relevance to technology. To follow, he’ll hypothesise bold ideas for products that better fit the spaces through which we move, asking us to reimagine user experiences and consider a more meaningful future relationship with digital technology.
Here’s what was said about this presentation on social media.
My talk prep list getting silly now pic.twitter.com/8e9gfLg8L8
— Simon Collison (@colly) June 8, 2018
Talking about the importance and usefulness of nature at tech events has been intimidating, sometimes demoralising. So happy when it resonates with attendees, so for once I’m blowing me trumpet https://t.co/pKbP2iq9tX
— Simon Collison (@colly) June 9, 2018
I'm posting the latest "Internet of Natural Things" letter tonight or tomorrow, and I think you'll like it. Subscribe here: https://t.co/yij1PNrtj0
— Simon Collison (@colly) April 25, 2018