Ubiquitous computing: visions, failures and new interaction rituals

LIFT season is almost here with its flourishing workshop proposals. With Near Future Laboratory compadres Nicolas Nova and Julian Bleecker, we organize a session on ubiquitous computing and its discontent. The teaser goes as follow:

The integration of information processing into everyday objects and our environments, often referred to as “Ubiquitous Computing” has been fueled by strong visions such as Weiser’s ‘Calm Computing’ paradigm or Philips’ ‘Ambient Intelligence’. Nevertheless, the ever-increasing number of smart houses, intelligent assistants or mobile location-based applications find niches but has not yet lead to their adoptions by quotidian users. As stated by researchers such as Bell and Dourish, these visions might mislead us into an infinitely postponed proximate future that eventually distracts our attention to what is currently being used and its effects.
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The purpose is to generate debate about the design and integration of ubiquitous systems based on case studies proposed from workshop participants. Moreover, we want to open up a debate around the future of those systems as well as the adoption by a large user base.

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Relation to my thesis: a collaborative follow-up from last year’s monologue at LIFT.