Member Article

Are we in danger of creating technology for technology's sake, ask digital heavyweights?

Are we in danger of creating technology for technology’s sake? Some of the world’s greatest digital thinkers seem to think so.

From virtual one-to-one therapy services to electronic fridge mounted egg counters, to falling in love with chatbots and the rise of the world’s first ‘social robot’ – when it comes to the collision of technology and reality, the future is seemingly closer than we think.

Preserving humility and emotion in the course of future design was all the talk at this year’s Interact 2016 conference, where speakers collectively outlined a world where the reasoning behind a baby’s cry is translated via electronic wristband, and where all our domestic needs are taken care of by camera-wielding cyborgs ready to snap those precious family moments at any given opportunity.

Digital heavyweights including Lou Rosenfeld of Rosenfeld Media, Change Sciences founder Pamela Pavliscak and UX designer and product strategist, Sarah Doody considered the intensifying relationship between the real and the digital, and urged delegates to ensure their own professional digital efforts are put into creating change, presenting real value to human life wherever possible.

In a commonly emergent theme, director of End-to-End service design at Lloyds banking group, Alberta Soranzo also questioned if ‘we really need something to tell us our fly is open?’ and queried the depth of benefit in ‘keeping track of how many eggs we have at any one time’.

Now in its third year, the three-day event also saw an elite selection of creative industry professionals converge at London’s British Museum to consider the significance of neurology, psychology and cognitive neuroscience within the digital world, the future of Fintech and CX, VR and much more.

Featuring some of the world’s most respected digital thought leaders, including Usman Sheikh, Global Head of Design and Experimentation at Barclaycard Future Payments, Capital One UK Head of Design Aline Baeck, and Senior Designer Gavin Strange from Aardman Animations, the event is organised annually by strategic digital design agency Nomensa to provide inspiration, insight and analysis to the professional digital community.

Catherine Vaughan, Head of Marketing at Nomensa, said: “There can be no doubt that the role of digital design continues to dominate when it comes to achieving everyday tasks in the modern world. Its significance in supporting the way human beings achieve the outcomes they desire in life must never be underestimated.

“Indeed, industry developments we have seen within the three years since Interact London itself has been in existence are alone not inconsiderable. This is why we strive to continue setting ourselves apart from other industry events and continue bringing together some of the world’s leading experts to share best practice, their philosophies, and to ultimately continue pushing boundaries.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Catherine Vaughan .