FEATURE
What does the metaverse look like in 5 years? Maybe this.
Argodesign—a design firm that’s spent years consulting for Magic Leap—has put its cards on the table. It has developed a five-year vision for mixed reality, offering a convincing argument for how products like HoloLens and Magic Leap can work in half a decade. This metaverse would function as well for Starbucks as for Apple, with enough value and control for people to actually use.
The secret sauce of it all? Argodesign’s metaverse is basically the internet. But instead of going to websites, you go to real places—where mixed reality glasses reveal otherwise invisible digital layers.
WWDC: How Apple updated iOS 16 to be ready for a mixed reality metaverse
Read about a slew of changes that seemed to be the building blocks for updating Apple’s screen-based UX into something that could work in our 3D world of tomorrow.
CURIOSITY
The science behind creativity
Psychologists and neuroscientists are exploring where creativity comes from and how to increase your own.
At an individual level, creativity can lead to personal fulfillment and positive academic and professional outcomes, and even be therapeutic. People take pleasure in creative thoughts, research suggests—even if they don’t think of themselves as especially creative.
“Across different age groups, the best predictor of creativity is openness to new experiences,” said Anna Abraham, PhD, the E. Paul Torrance Professor and director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia. “Creative people have the kind of curiosity that draws them toward learning new things and experiencing the world in new ways,” she said.
To be more creative, embrace ambiguity
The absence of certainty makes us more flexible and open to alternative ideas. Navigating ambiguity takes work. It can be exhausting. Even when you think you’re relaxing and letting it be, your brain is working in the background to solve unknowns and make connections. It’s a muscle that can be built with patience and effort.
“Navigating Ambiguity” is part of Stanford d.school’s new series of guides looking at the methods and mindsets of designers.
VISUAL
Visualization: How the Mobile Phone Market Has Evolved Over 30 Years
This animation chronicles the evolution of the mobile phone market, showing the rise and fall of various mobile phone manufacturers. A visualization brings data to life and in this case is mesmerizing and you can see the rise and fall of brands...
UX
User Research Yearbook - Class of 2022
Welcome to UI High, the world’s only fictional secondary school dedicated to the study and practice of User Research!
The User Research Yearbook is a directory of essential voices in User Research: In one way or another, all of the folks in the UI High Class of 2022 have contributed their voices, energy, and time to educate, champion, challenge, and drive important conversations within the field.
INCLUSIVE
Estimate how many people using your website might be disabled
This service estimates the number of people with disabilities who use a website. It mainly uses percentages taken from the Government Digital Service (GDS) accessibility personas.
It's intended as a prompt for discussion and thought. It's not an exact way of measuring anything about the people using your service.
TOPICAL
What AI Tells Us About Modern Fatherhood
With Father's Day around the corner, this piece by Shutterstock discusses how the roles of fathers are ever-changing, with data showing how they’re represented in advertising creative today.
According to Shutterstock AI, Click Through Rates are high for pics of fathers on open roads, beaches, motorbikes, wine (won over beer), cupcakes, jackets, sneakers and reading...
TOOLS
22 apps designers can't live without (and why)
FastCompany asked designers, illustrators, and creatives from around the world to share their go-to apps. Here are 22 apps at the top of the design world’s list—for productivity, inspiration, and communication.