What designers can learn from science fiction

Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction takes a look at the connection between sci-fi and real-life interface designs

Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction takes a look at the connection between sci-fi and real-life interface designs

The authors of this book set out to discover what practical lessons might be learned from examining interfaces from over 100 years of sci-fi films and TV.

Freed from the usual constraints, they argue, the interface designers of the sci-fi world have come up with interesting ideas that can be adapted for use in real-world designs.

Star Trek: The Original Series went for jewel-like interface buttons

Star Trek: The Original Series went for jewel-like interface buttons

The lessons learned aren't necessarily the obvious ones. For example, Minority Report has been a huge influence on the development of gestural interfaces. But while the future tech may look cool in the movie, the authors point out how Tom Cruise needed continuous breaks while shooting the scenes with the interface.

"Few people can hold their hands above the level of their heart and move them around for any extended period," they point out. "But those rests don't appear in the film - a misleading omission for anyone who wants to use a similar interface for real tasks."

Total Recall predicted the Xbox Kinect interface - hologram not included (yet)

Total Recall predicted the Xbox Kinect interface - hologram not included (yet)

If you’re a designer who loves sci-fi and real-world technology, you won’t want to miss out on this insightful exploration of both topics.

Make it so: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction, by Nathan Shedroff and Christopher Noessel and published by Rosenfeld Media, is out now priced $39 for paperback and £22 for ebook formats.

All images from Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction; Rosenfeld Media, 2012.

This showcase was originally published in .net magazine issue 234.

Now read these!

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of seven full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Abi Le Guilcher, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.