So, this is it… My very last school project. For my Passion Project, I have five weeks to basically do whatever I want in the world of creative development.
I did a lot of brainstorming and research to find something I really want to work on for five weeks straight. One thing was really clear to me: I want to work with physical objects & code. Since my previous study, Industrial Design, was all about physical products and my current study, Devine, is all about digital products, it feels right to combine both in my last school project ever.
I spent a lot of time figuring out exactly what I wanted to do. You can check out my (messy) research here: Passion Project Research
After a lot of thinking, I ended up with this research question:
How might we use obsolete technologies to break the smartphone bubble and facilitate meaningful micro-interactions between strangers?
Let’s break that down.
Obsolete tech
I’ve always had a thing for “obsolete” tech. If you walk into my room right now, you’ll see a record player, a typewriter, a vintage bike, a mechanical calculator, some old scales… I just love the robust, beautiful look and feel of these things.
The smartphone bubble
A few years ago, I started Devine with a Nokia 3310. It sounds crazy, but I loved it. Because I didn’t have Google Maps, I actually had to talk to strangers to find my way around. I had tiny, wonderful interactions every day.
Eventually, I was told an iPhone would “improve” my life. Now, I’m on track to graduate with an iPhone 16 in my pocket. But is it really an improvement? We are collectively addicted to “anti-social” media. We’ve stopped talking. We’re more “connected” than ever, but way more lonely.
It makes sense, because humans are built for small, real social interactions. We even have a hormone called oxytocin, basically an “emotional high-five” your brain releases when you have a nice little micro-interaction.
I don’t want to fix the whole world, but I’d love to make a small difference in someone’s day.