Manifesto

I started my design journey at Parsons in a state of unawareness – new city, different country, no design background, difference in culture, separated in thoughts and ideas. Coming from India, I didn’t realize that there were so many topics that exist in cultures – social issues, technological trends, and belief systems – that we don’t talk about. My readings and research through the course, Design for This Century, forced me to think and talk about such issues. Through the course, I have realized that there are several topics and worldviews that I either did not know existed or subconsciously skipped. The discussions on those topics have made me (and continue to make me) more introspective as a designer. I try to decipher the hidden expressions in the world around me and talk about them. I like to question beliefs. These interrogations and academic readings have guided me to be wiser about developing perceptions and more conscious about making choices. The best part of this thoughtful liberation is that it has directed me on a path to explore the unexplored, question the objectionable, and break the monotony.

 

The topics I have researched, brainstormed, discussed and analyzed through this course have had a substantial impact on my thoughts. The readings on disability gave me a new lens to see the world – from the perspective of the specially-abled people and the social communities which are not recognized equally. I have worked in the tech industry before coming to Parsons, but never consciously worked on designing interactions with the thought of accessibility for everyone. I realized that there are communities which we do not consider in our design practice just because they are a minority (we think). The realization that at least a tenth of the population is disabled^[1] instigated me to start interrogating the interactions around me.

I see the world proceeding to a state of technological autonomy and ease. While this is good in every other way, this convenience creates a dependence and restricts movement. This restriction can (and I believe will) transform the way we live our lives. Consider the impact of technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in the future: we would be so used to the convenience that our everyday interactions would be revolving around it. I see a future in which mankind adopts technological autonomy and movement restriction. In that future, disability will have a new definition for the world. Think about it – everyone traveling on hoverboards instead of walking. If no one is walking, everyone is disabled. This is not science fiction anymore. A world similar to what was shown in Pixar’s movie WALL-E^[2] would soon get real. I see this situation probable and want to update my design practice as per that. I want to design for the new world and include every community in the process so that no one is marginalized. There is a stigma associated with a lot of things, and there exists inequality in several forms. I want to break those borders and design more broadly by adopting this inclusive approach.

 

Another aspect of technology adoption is transparency and data sharing. The open platforms like Google and Facebook and soon-to-be mainstream technologies like Blockchain are influencing (and would continue to influence) how users receive and interact with content. And with technology companies focusing on collecting user data for developing artificially intelligent applications, acceptance of this transparency (and in some way surveillance) is becoming a common user behavior. For instance, most of us do not read the entire online agreement before selecting “I Accept”. In its abstract form, I see Foucault’s prison surveillance model coming to practice, such that the world would become a technological prison with every individual as its prisoner, constantly being monitored by the technology they create. This form of surveillance would impact user behavior. As this trend aggravates, content sharing on XR platforms would be charged with stricter data privacy laws. So, when designing for the future, I will focus on this aspect of ontological design to update my design practices.

 

Every new technological adoption receives skepticism in the beginning. And to further induce doubt in the minds of commoners, science fiction stories and TV series like Netflix’s Black Mirror^[3] have exemplified the probable dystopia associated with technologies like VR, AR, and MR, which are more broadly referred as X Reality (XR). I believe that designers and technologists will have a major role to play when designing interactions and I want to be at the forefront of those considerations. Developing nations like India are yet to harvest the potential of XR. I see a lot of scope in this area and want to create products and services for those nations. I want to focus on designing interactions around XR such that people accept the technology and do not see it leading to a dystopian future.

 

Next, as the world is focusing on simplification and engagement, I have observed a trend of gamifying the processes. In some form of the other, everyone loves to play games. Games are a great form of entertainment and they enable engagement by motivating people to complete challenges. I am interested to explore this area, especially because I consider games to be a neutral form of play. Gamers do not play with bias – social issues like gender inequality are almost non-existent among gamers. With the increasing acceptance of queerness in the society, it is important to induce a neutral form of education for everyone. I am interested to combine education, games and X reality to enhance user experience in learning. Games today are considered more than a child’s play and I am excited to expand this sector.

 

Technology has evolved tremendously in the last decade, and the pace would continue to grow through the years. With my focus on accessibility, games and X Reality, I want to see the world flourish with technology, with a vision that technology continues to be a piece of the puzzle (life) and not the puzzle itself.

 

 

 

[1]: https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/statistics/
[2]: https://movies.disney.com/wall-e
[3]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/

 

Note: I wrote this manifesto as a part of my assignment for the course Design for This Century (PGHT 5601) at Parsons School of Design, The New School. The contents mentioned in the text are my views on the world. The web resources and names of people mentioned in this manifesto purely for reference purposes and should be considered outside the purview of copyright claims. I do not intend to infringe the privacy of any individual or entity through the manifesto.

 

Download PDF: Manifesto – Akshansh Chaudhary