Interaction design

In this post we showcase twenty interaction design concepts, both 2D and 3D concepts. Every interaction designer out there should have a look at these concepts to get inspired! As the products are totally different they have not been ranked, just numbered, enjoy!

Do you know / have any other concepts that should be listed here feel free to contact us and we will add them to the list of ‘cool interaction design concepts’.

1 Generation random

As a celebration of ten years of graphic design studio ‘Lust’ the designers have developed ‘Generation random’. It is a touch screen (no, no multi touch screen!) that contains all the projects in boxes. These boxes interact with the device as each box has RFID tags. The contents of the box are displayed on the screen which you can browse.

The nice thing about ‘Generation random’ is that you have the multi touch feeling but still can do everything with single touch. It is a trend to use for every ‘touch’ concept multi touch screens but that does not necessarily make it better.

Also visit the Lust website

2 The liquid display

Designer Nicolas Büchi has designed an interactive display which is controlled by manipulating three cups of water. By entering your finger and moving around in the cup you control the size and frequency of the bubbles on the display.

In his bachelor project Nicolas shows how a physical interaction can operate a display. In his project it are the bubbles but this physical interaction can be brought back in many products. This could reduce the number of buttons while the interaction is playful and explorative. Does it have a good usability? Probably not, but it might be more joyful!

More about the liquid display here

3 Interactive water board

Designer Mike Burton has developed a wall of water, called ‘the Waterboard’. Is is in interactive whiteboard that allows users to manipulate the flow of water. The fun part is that the water can be manipulated by drawing lines that form objects or by use of actual physical objects such as…..humans!

Mike Burton somehow achieved to define what the water does in reality into formulas. When a bowl is drawn the water will keep flowing in the bowl and the water level rises. When the bowl is full the water will flow over the edge and continue its new course. In that way all different paths can be made as long as it goes downward.

Another interesting detail is that the water responds to the time it is not flowing. After a certain period the water will develop into a greenish goo with little flies circling above the water.

More about the interactive water board here

4 Nokia 888

Although this design by Tamer Nakisci is already three years old, it is still actual this day. He won the design competition of Nokia with this concept phone.

Concept description

The concept is a phone that can be bend in any shape you want. This allows it to be carried wherever you want; around your wrist, in your chest pocket or in your bag. By sending each other messages that contain emotions the phone can change its shape to fit the message. It can for example change its shape to a hart when someone sends his love towards that person.

5 Sony remote control (yes an apple!)

Designer Jason Roebuck has designed a remote control for Sony, and guess what, it is an apple! The concept is a bowl that has several apples; one for each family member. With the apple you can operate the television with gestures. The physical movement with the apple operates the television, by swaying the apple to the right you can increase the volume for instance. Once the apples are placed on the bowl they are being recharged again, probably through induction.

See also the portfolio of Jason Roebuck

6 Ripple faucet

The ‘RIpple Faucet’ designed by Smith Newnam brings new interactions to faucets. The faucets that we are used to have to manipulators; hot and cold that also controls the flow of the water, or with a thermostat faucet, one for the temperature and one for the flow. The design eliminates this separation of controlling the flow and temperature, with one single movements both can be set. (article continues below)

More about the ripple faucet here

7 The Cabinet

ave you ever collected images in nicely stacked piles of categories for inspiration? When you start designing and are looking for inspiration you are browsing through your images but you always can’t find that particular image you are searching for. Ianus Keller of the TU Delft developed ‘the Cabinet’ for his PHD to solve this problem.

The Cabinet collects and organizes images that designers use in their design work. The good part is that it can collect both digital as well physical artefacts. A booklet or magazine can be placed on the cabinet and with a flick of a button the image gets scanned and added to the collection.

More about the Cabinet here

8 Audiopad

James Patten and Ben Recht have developed the Audiopad, a multi touch screen that transforms motion into music. On the touch screen different parameters can be controlled be by dragging and resizing which directly influence the music you hear.

With traditional DJ sets and mixers the feedback is purely led lights that switch on or off while the audiopad also gives visual feedback on the touch screen. In our opinion this makes mixing / creating music a lot more intuitive as you don’t only have audible feedback but also visual feedback.

9 Goldfish bar

An interactive concept with a multi touch screen for a bar in a cafe or restaurant. You have some control over how the fishes will swim and move over the bar. Although it is mostly for decoration it has some nice touch to it. It is not overly present but you still have some fun with it if you have to wait for someone.

Via Vimeo

10 Iphone hologram

Although it looks simple, this little creature that in your iphone always keeps walking in 3D. It responds to the angle in which the Iphone is held and it constantly updates the perspective of the creature.

Via Vimeo and David Oreilly

11 Freespace of Hillcrest Labs

The company Hillcrest Labs has developed a pointer that allows users to point in 3D. The pointer uses motion control technology and can sense the motion in all three axis. In this way users can translate their physical movement to the cursor position and manipulate it like they were touching the screen.

Also visit the Hillcrest Labs website.

12 Made in China

The concept ‘MADE in China’ was the winner of the ‘Next-Gen pc competition’ in 2006 and was especially designed for the Chinese market. The product itself has no hardware like a CPU or hard drive, this infrastructure is provided by the service provider. Technically feasible? No. But it is a nice futuristic concept of how computers could change in the next decade.

The most interesting thing about this concept is that it breaths the Chinese, or Asian culture. You can drag and drop files with chopsticks and also the style of the concept has many Chinese characteristics. Compared to all the existing laptops a breath for fresh air!

See also the Next-Gen PC competition

13 Buttonless remote control

For his graduation project student Joris van Gelder designed a new concept for a buttonless remote control. The remote control for a television is operated by physical manipulation of the remote control. By pushing the top of the remote down or up the volume is set. By sliding your finger through the opening in the center the channel on the television goes one up or down.

Van Gelder has mentioned several times that the remote is developed for in the kitchen. It is possible to operate the remote control with dirty fingers since you will not touch the remote. We think such a remote control can be delivered, or additionally ordered, with a regular remote control since certain features cannot be accessed anymore with this remote. To use teletext or an electronic guide with this remote is unlikely. We would like to see this concept further develop that also operates other functions of the TV and can replace existing remote control

What is good about this concept is that it helps user to achieve their goals in a quick and easy way; adjusting the volume and changing the channel. Now lets brows through two hundred channels!

More about the buttonless remote control here

14 Wind 3.0

Studio Roosegaarde has designed interactive fibers combined with ventilators, called ‘Wind 3.0′. The concept exists out of one hundred fibers which move and interact with people that are passing by. It plays with the relation between nature and technology. Next to the fibers it uses hundred ventilators to add another sensation; wind!

See also Studio Roosegaarde

15 Interactive LED coffee table

‘Design-build studio Becausewecan’ has developed an interactive coffee table. It has 640 LED lights just below the glass surface which react to motion. If you ‘wave’ over the glass surface the LED lights will follow this motion by lightening up. The intensity of the light is linked to the distance between the surface and the table. The motion is detected by 32 active and passive near-infrared sensors.

See also Becausewecan and video via youtube

16 InTable

Design studio ‘430 Limited’ has developed an interactive screen for on the bar in restaurants and cafes. The table responds on the objects that are placed on the table. Although customers can play with it the main advantage would be the promotion of drinks, offers or events.

See also HK430 Limited

17 Media cubes

With these two media cubes of Mattias Andersson you can control radio, television and media player function on a flat screen. Does it have good usability? No, but it is fun!

Gyroscopic sensors measure the movements of the cubes. They sent this signal with radio technology similar to wireless mouse technology. Charging of the cubes occurs through induction so you do not have to plug in a power jack.

More about the media cubes here

18 Table talk

Designers Marcus Ericsson, David Sjunnesson, John Eriksson and Minna Gedin have designed the ‘Table talk’. The table responds to speech and transforms the spoken words into colors that appear on the table. Their goal is to have a pleasurable, nice looking table but also to have a pattern which reflects the conversation between people.

See also the table talk site

19 Flicflex

Chris Woebken explores how the traditional way of browsing a photo album can be brought back in digital products. Instead of using traditional commands on the computer like ‘crop’, ‘rotate’ or ‘next the digital paper reacts to traditional (physical) gestures like; flipping and bending for example. This makes browsing and editing such an album more pleasurable and natural.

See also the site of Chris Woebken

20 Reactable

Designers Sergi Jordà, Günter Geiger, Martin Kaltenbrunner and Marcos Alonso have developed the ‘Reactable’. It is a multi touch table that allows multiple people to make music in a visual way. WIth different building blocks the sound can be manipulated on the screen. Traditional mixers or synthesizer only provide feedback through the position of the controls. With the Reactable you have both visual and audio feedback.

The basics

Demonstration

See also the Reactable site

21 MusicCube

Designer Miguel Bruns Alonso has developed the MusicCube. It is a cubical mp3 player without display or buttons. You operate the cube by rotating, shaking or pushing the cube together. On the top is the speaker which also functions as a control; you can rotate the inner cone to adjust the volume for example.

See also the site of Miguel Bruns Alonso

22 Attractable

The company called Atracsys has developed an interactive table that reminds us a lot of the Microsoft Surface table. The table can be developed for commercial applications such as a mobile phone shop. The phone can be placed on the table and all the functionalities can be browsed on the screen.

See also the site of Atracsys

23 Organigami

Designers Mireia Subirana and Iván Aguado have devevloped the ‘Organigami’. It is a multi touch table that allows multiple people to manipulate the ‘organic’ creature on te table. By scratching and pulling the visualized creature will respond by going into your direction for example. The table uses a beamer below the surface with a mirror to project the visualizations.

Via the Criterion site and see also the Organigami site