WMYC - Reimagining decision making technology of the future
Overview
This project was completed as part of my masters course. The assignment was an open-ended exercise to re-image an aspect of future technology for a Creativity In Design course.
We elected to focus on a dystopian vision of the future and explore some of the challenges our future society might face through our design artifacts.
We came up with the concept of WMYC (We Make Your Choices) – a smart wearable technology that makes the "optimal" choices for its users, and an allegory for the cult of productivity. This project allowed me to dive into the more creative and artistic side of design.
Team
​Anna Shokareva, Angela Molem, Jane Ngan, Kirsten Chow, Karen Leung
Timeline
Feb - May 2022
Creative Process
Illustration by Angela Molem
For this exercise, we stepped away from a traditional double diamond process to let our creativity to roam freely.
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We began by ideating and refining our ideas through a variety of mediums such as sketches, mood boards, and paper prototypes. The end goal was to come up with a unique idea and create artifacts that would elicit reflection in our audience.
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We were drawn to the idea of a dystopian future, one in which technology has evolved to the point where it automates tasks we think of as being distinctly human. When discussing potential "problems" this technology could address, we focused on the idea of "FOMO" (fear of missing out) as it relates to comparing one's achievements to the perceived successes of others in the age of social media.
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We imagined a technology that would take away the anxiety of wondering whether you're on the right path to future success. This would be done by removing the source of this anxiety - decision making. Thus, the idea of We Make Your Choices was born, with the promise of helping our fictional users carpe diem in the most efficient way possible.
Outcome
This isn't meant to be a realistic concept, but theoretically the technology would utilize a variety of interfaces, such as smart watches and glasses, to display information to the users.
The deliverables for this project were a variety of marketing materials for the hypothetical launch of WMYC, showcased below.
Artefacts
Learnings
The aim of our deliverables was to encourage viewers to think about a problem, rather than providing a solution.
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We did this by leaning into the dystopian aspect of the concept. The hardware component of WMYC would monitor users' biometric data (EEG waves, blood pressure, heart rate, etc) and actions so the technology can tell them what their best choice is. However “best” can mean numerous things. In reality, the “best” choice will vary from person to person depending on their motivations, such as a desire for family, personal happiness or improving society through altruistic actions. With WMYC, there is only one motivation - productivity: working hard, achieving financial success and contributing to the economy with one's labor and capital.
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This project was an exciting challenge that required outside-the-box thinking. There were user research summaries, personas or user journeys to guide our design process. Instead, we were able to find inspiration by bouncing ideas off each other. We leveraged the different skillsets each individual brought to the team to create multiple pieces we were all happy with in a short period of time. The team had great chemistry and it was an overall fantastic experience!