Do Not Touch – Kilo by Light Light

This past week the winners of the 2013 UK Music Video Awards were announced. (Creative Review has a nice summary of the event.) And what’s noteworthy for me was it was the first year they had an Interactive Video Award. This years winner was for the song Kilo by Light Light, and went to Amsterdam-based design studio Moniker.

I had a lot of fun going through the nominees (and winner) and thought I’d post them here. I’ll embed a video of the non-interactive version, and then include links to the actual interactive pieces, and any supporting materials). They’re a bit all-over-the-map in terms of interactivity and production values — but definitely worth a look.

Beck: Hello Again

- Interactive video
- how it was made

Do Not Touch – Kilo by Light Light

- Interactive video
- More Info

Moones – Drunk in Session

- Interactive video (same as below)
- More Info & Behind the scenes

Sigur Ros – Stormur

- Interactive video

Spoek – Escape From ‘85

- Interactive video
- More Info

The Family Rain – Reason to Die Orbital

- Interactive video
- Making of

Despite the controversy surrounding Ender’s Game, I wanted to share a handful of images of UI from the film. Among the team involved in the work was Ash Thorp, who I’ve interviewed here before about his other work. It’s beautiful, complex, rich-looking infographics and interface stuff. There’s more on Ash’s site, too.

For example, a map of the area is useful. But a flat, non-interactive, PDF?

Here is content that’s provided via a webpage.

But the combination of Surface and browser interface elements is overwhelming.

And I’m not sure how many users would be able to figure their way out of this situation…

Yikes.

I may be new to this party, but it sure looks like a cool one. It’s the Leap Motion gesture control system — a $70 device that’s scheduled for release some time this winter. Technology Review described it as The Most Important New Technology Since the Smart Phone. That may be a bit strong, but…

The device, which connects to your computer, gives you a 3D volume that’s able to track your individual fingers, or objects you may be holding — 200 times more accurately than the Kinect.

It’s cool to see how you can do the usual pinch to zoom, and toss to scroll gestures. But what looks most promising is the fluidness in which you can intuitively interact with complex 3D environments — places where you’d previously have to master a complex input device, or switch between numerous interaction modes.

The Atlantic (in a fun article on the future of phones) describes how fundamental this change may be:

It’s that prepositional change — in not on, into not on — that signals a major shift in how we might actually come to feel about computing in general. Somehow, a 3D environment becomes much more real when you can manipulate it like a physical space.

For more info see these articles at The Verge and Forbes.

A game that self-destructs — both visually and structurally — as you play it. And once it’s done, the executable file no longer works.

GlitchHiker was created for Global Game Jam on the theme “Extinction.” People could play the game at the event, but eventually it self-destructed — never playable again. All that remains is a video of the gameplay.

There is more info at Create Digital Motion and Vlambeer. As well as the game’s official page where you can download it, even though it won’t work anymore.

A fascinating instance of ephemeral software.

Take a look at Receipt Racer — a microproject by Joshua Noble and undef.

Done in just one day, as part of the CreativeApplications.Net OFFF2011 Workshop, the game is a fascinating mix of interactivity and print. Using a thermal receipt printer, a racing track is printed. The racing car is projected onto the printout with a micro projector, and a game controller lets the player steer.

The creators note that using 50 meters of paper for one race run isn’t very efficient… “Ecologically it’s pretty much a disaster, just like any real race car.”

(Link via Interactive Stuff.)

Designing for multiple screens brings a wide range of design issues. Take a look at this collection of Multiscreen Patterns from the German design Studio Precious. The slideshare presents six different screen ecosystems. Definitely worth a look. Simple and beautiful.

(Link via Engadget.)

Here’s a fascinating presentaiton by Adam Connor on how film-techniques could be relevant to interaction designers. Particularly relevant as so often UX people talk about how “the story” is the most important part of design…