A summary of MEX, March 2015

A summary of MEX, March 2015

Change is a fickle notion which plays with our perception of time. In digital, at least, it is characterised by the very human tendency to over-estimate short term impact and under-estimate long term meaning. At the 15th edition of MEX, an initiative and event now in its 10th year, we found ourselves in search of techniques which can enhance digital user experience in the present and trends which might result in significant, long-term change. Through its own longevity, MEX has become well suited to this type of exploration by drawing on a useful depth of prescience and learning from its fair share of misguided hopes.

Our title for the 2 days was 'Under the skin of user experience', hosted by Marek Pawlowski, founder of MEX, and Andrew Muir Wood. It was a theme which spoke of our desire to go beyond paying lip service to the importance of UX and actually advance the art of user-centred methodologies. At the same time, it asked a second question: how is the human relationship with digital technologies changing as they get physically closer to our skin in the form of wearables and, indeed, become fully woven into the fabric of our lives - at first metaphorically and, perhaps in time, physically too.

Marek Pawlowski, founder of MEX, (right) and Andrew Muir Wood (left)

Setting out on this path with the eclectic crowd of investors, strategists, developers and designers required a shared assumption: the term 'mobile' no longer simply describes a class of devices, but rather an attitude of mind that technology is something which accompanies and surrounds us, and in some cases, now moves itself without human intervention in the form of robots and artificial intelligence.

Opening creative exercise by Think with Things

We were conscious that progress would only be made on novel themes like this if participants embraced novel ways of thinking. It was for that reason that the audience arrived for the first session to find a room empty of chairs and absent of the usual screen of projected slides. In their place, the Think with Things team had laid out thousands of objects, and a series of questions inviting people to use the materials they found to solve challenges linked to the event themes. The atmosphere in the room was fascinating to watch: a large group of people who'd never met each other, suddenly confronted with a shared experience of an unexpected and, initially, uncomfortable scenario: all the traditional conventions of a conference room were missing.

Drawn to the glow of an old-fashioned OHP

After a couple of minutes, the first brave souls began to investigate the objects and their enthusiasm was infectious. Within 5 minutes, the whole room was buzzing with participants collecting, sorting, sharing and using the objects individually and in groups to address the various challenges at stations around the room. One zone employed an old-fashioned overhead projector to create shadow maps on the wall. Participants found this particularly compelling and its glow drew nearly everyone least once during the session, as they considered how physical objects could be used to interface with virtual worlds.

Isobel Demangeat (right) and Julie Anne Gilleland (left) of Think with Things

More here:
A summary of MEX, March 2015