This research project has been accepted into CHI ’22. Visit the University of Calgary Vault for access to a post-print version of the full paper.
During my time at the Interactions Lab in Summer 2021 with Wesley Willett, we explored the use of cinematic “pre-visualization” (previs) techniques as a rapid ideation and design futuring method for human computer interaction (HCI) research. Over the summer, I designed and lead eight week-long design futuring sprints with different researchers across various HCI and computer science domains to produce short animated concepts envisioning the future of their research. The start of each week involved meeting with researchers to iteratively ideate and sketch out storyboards. By the end of the week, I then used Blender to transform the concepts into 3D animations and posted them to social media via the @future.interaction handle on Instagram and TikTok.
Some sketches and screenshots taken during the sprints can be seen below.
Interacting with Worlds in Miniature · How might we interact with miniature 3D maps in a future AR + VR hologram world? · Kurtis Danyluk 
VR Runway Audience Interactions · How will fashion runway interactions evolve with new immersive media? · Sydney Pratte 
Visualizing the Gender Gap · How will new materials & AR technologies change interactions with physical data visualization pieces • Carmen Hull 
Simulating Heavy Interactions in VR · How will future haptic systems and shape changing interfaces simulate heavy objects? · Marcus Friedel 
Personal Data Privacy · What controls will we have over our personal data in the future? · Kath Blair 
Social Robot Interactions · Where did the robot make a mistake “helping ” in this kitchen? · Tim Au Yeung 
Co-Designed Senior Care · What collaborative roles will seniors play in their own future care? · Gina Freeman 
Music Jamming Education · How will future technologies assist hobbyist artists learn music theory? · Michael Hung
After reflecting on our experiences in the sprints, we developed a One Week Futuring Workbook to support other Research-Designer teams in their futuring endeavours. I created the workbook in Sketch, then uploaded the project to GitHub to encourage additional iteration as other sprints take place.
