RealityWorks TEDx

Goodenough College, London – May 19th 2018

In times of uncertainty and seemingly endless possibilities, ‘What Next’ will provide a glimpse into the future. What does the future hold for design as we know it? Seymourpowell’s lead automotive designer Richard Seale will give his thoughts on the future of design, design thinking and the design tools we use to deliver what our imaginations conceive.

The role of designer has changed dramatically in my lifetime. The pace of technological progress has ushered in a new era – dawning a new age in which our capacity for creativity is no longer limited by technology, but instead by our imagination and in how we best leverage that technology to allow us to work smarter not harder.  

VR, MR and AR tech is dramatically changing the way I work.  I will demonstrate this by sketching an original car design in 3D and in full size live on stage while simultaneously explaining how this kind of tech has streamlined my workflow.

I will theorise about where technology like this could take us.  Describing my vision of a cloud based automotive design studio seamlessly accessible from anywhere in the world. I will describe how this could further streamline design working practices.  Could this even mean traveling to work at a design studio will become a thing of the past?

I will also discuss the role generative design powered by AI will play in this new creative space?  How will this effect the day to day design process?  Will AI systems become a design employee and aid the designer in the creative process or will it replace them directly? Is design as we know it dead?

I will argue that actually the converse is true.  AI and new design tools will make design so instantly accessible, opening up new possibilities for bespoke and personalised products and services.  I will use my experience working in the car industry to demonstrate how autonomy and electric mobility will see a resurgence in coach building and how in this new world we will need more designers and creative thinkers to manage and deliver bespoke designs for people! A new world of design is on the horizon. Long live Design

I've always felt that the capacity of being able think of a new idea; whilst actually having the means to functionally realize those ideas, places a large burden of responsibility on a designer's shoulders. Any creative design output that makes it's way out and into the world via product, service or system – has a tangible effect on people's lives, often with significant implications that can even mean the difference between life and death. 

To aid the work I do as Lead Automotive designer at Seymourpowell (world-renowned design and innovation agency in London) we use our very own VR design tools that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The learnings that have arisen from my daily experiences with these tools need to be shared with the wider community of innovators, who can then take them further and carry them into novel and unique applications that can benefit the design community at large.  More importantly however, is the potential to democratize design; empowering all those who share the innovative spirit to realize their great ideas; empowering those without traditional design skillsets to join the collective project of applied innovation to create a better world.  

I feel this point of view and more specifically these insights very closely align with the values of the TED project - and I'd be honored to share them from the Ted-X platform to inspire others to consider and develop for the mutual benefit of the design community and ultimately the world.  

As lead automotive designer at world renowned design and innovation company seymourpowell, I have been lucky enough to play a significant role not only in developing the firm's commercial design output but their efforts in design evangelism worldwide. 

I have also given talks to the public, both aspiring designers, professional designers and innovators everywhere from Space Camp (USA) to the Goodwood festival of speed, I have significant experience in future-focused public speaking on design and technology. 

Looking ahead into 2018, I have been invited to speak at Develop3D Live and the Future of Autonomous Vehicles Summit in Stuttgart in June, and would be delighted to add the Ted-X Event at Goodenough College  to headline my roster of speaking engagements for the year.

Seymourpowell attend Develop3d Live

Seymourpowell have presented RealityWorks at Developed3D Live 2018 to demonstrate the power of reality works as a design and visualisation tool. See the video below for a small glimpse into the future of virtual reality design tools.

Seymourpowell Invited to Showcase RealityWorks at Develop3D live

Richard Seale (Lead automotive designer) at Seymourpowell will be live demonstrating ‘Reality Works’ – their new Virtual Reality sketch tool for automotive design. The tool allows designers to sketch in 3D at full scale to create data and streamline collaboration between both designer and modeller. Working at the watershed that exists between creativity and virtual technologies – Seymourpowell believe that tools like this have the potential to transform the design process; slashing the time it takes for design teams to get from initial sketch to the showroom floor.

Reality Works is a Virtual Reality tool developed by design and innovation agency Seymourpowell, with the intention of addressing four key deliverables the we believe will revolutionise the design process and the way that 3D design is executed:

A networked platform

Allows teams in different locations around the world to ‘dial in’ and participate in the design process in real-time via tablets and VR headsets, as if in the same room.

Inspires greater collaboration

Breaks down existing barriers between designers, engineers and marketing teams by providing a shared workspace where design challenges are addressed as and when they arise.

Gives designers greater flexibility

Powerful VR sketching functionality allows designers to easily duplicate designs, draw complex spline curves, and work within industry safety regulations and parameters.

Streamlines design process

All teams can work from the same data created in Reality Works, instead of converting sketches into different formats to be developed. 

Reality Works looks to address some of the gaps Seymourpowell felt were missing from other VR drawing applications currently available. The aim was to create a virtual space  where you can sketch in 3D at full scale.  A destination space where all the tools are intuitive to use and aid communication between designer, modeller and engineer. We see huge potential for this type of disruption in creative industries. With more accessible and instinctive visualisation tools, more people will be able to communicate ground breaking visions and ideas, making things better for people, better for business, and better for the world.

The Key Principles at the centre of RealityWorks

Repost from FastCo

https://www.fastcodesign.com/90128628/is-vr-the-design-tool-of-the-future-only-if-it-does-these-5-things

Is VR The Design Tool Of The Future? Only If It Does These 5 Things

The British agency Seymourpowell built a VR design tool–and came away with some key insights into how VR can nurture creativity.

Although VR has been around for decades, the technology has only been explored seriously in the past few years. Most of this work has focused on experiential design, such as gaming and immersive retail environments. Relatively little has been done to explore the potential of using VR as a creative tool. Now that attitudes toward VR have started to mature and the technology is ever more accessible, we think there is no better time to start harnessing VR as the design tool of the future.

We first began thinking about this in the context of automotive design, an industry in which we work extensively. We felt there was a need for a tool that would streamline the industry’s design process and, in doing so, improve outcomes for both clients and consumers. We experimented with VR drawing tools on the market and found them creative and fun but lacking in the specific features and flexibility we needed for our workflow.

So we created our own VR design tool from scratch. Not only has this process whetted our appetite for further explorations into using VR as a design tool, it has given us some major insights into the viability of using VR as a design tool. These five things will determine the viability of VR as the design tool of the future.

1. CREATE NEW HUMAN BEHAVIORS

The idea of typing on a keyboard or using a computer mouse is so familiar to us that we forget that these skills are, in fact, new and learned behaviors. Likewise, if VR is to be developed into a fully fledged design tool, new behaviors will have to be created by developers and adopted by users. The exciting opportunity is in shaping what these behaviors will be.

Many of the constraints that inform how we use other technology, like a computer keyboard, mouse, or smartphone keypad simply don’t exist with VR. With VR, interaction is no longer just about hands and arms but includes movements of the whole body and how the space around it is used.

For example, sketching by hand might be a familiar skill but the first thing you need to learn in VR is how to draw with your whole body. VR can offer a far greater range of movement, letting you do everything from work on tiny, intricate details up close to explore how your whole body interacts with a design and space. VR design tools will need to fully harness this potential and build new behaviors around it to get the most out of the technology, instead of solely relying on existing or familiar ways of interacting that might be alien to the VR context.

2. USE CONVENTIONAL DIGITAL INTERACTIONS (SOMETIMES)

We started out by seeing if we could create a VR design experience that used only gestural movements. For instance, we experimented with having no digital menus, instead relying solely on movement of the body to select and use different features. However, we quickly realized that sometimes it was more appropriate to use conventional, digital interactions in the VR space.

Drawing circles is a good example. We tried using a physical compass (a stick with the controller on the end) as well as a routed-out circle within a piece of wood as a physical drawing tool. In the end we found that the best way to create a perfect circle was to use a very digital circle tool chosen from a menu. It was then that the more typically VR interactions came into play with functionality that allowed you to pick up the circles and move them around the space.

The insight here is knowing when it’s appropriate to leverage new interaction methods versus more conventional interactions such as selecting a tool from a digital menu. While we believe it’s essential to ground the VR design experience in reality, it’s not about being 100% real or forcing every interaction to be human. Working out where this balance lies is essential in creating tools for designing in VR.

3. CURATE THE ULTIMATE CREATIVE SPACE

It could be tempting to use VR to create an infinite space in which to design. What a luxury. However the look, feel, and shape of the VR design space is far more important than we first thought, and it has a significant impact on users’ creativity. We found that having a VR room, a contained space, in which to design helped designers be more focused on the task. Also, using colors cleverly within the environment made the tool more exciting to use, while allowing the environment to be tailored in all kinds of ways could encourage different levels and forms of creativity.

Sound is another crucial consideration because even though you’re in a virtual world, you’re still very aware of your surroundings. We found that designing in an infinite virtual space, while standing in the middle of our studio that has its own background noise, was jarring and felt strange. As soon as we created a virtual room, the background noise of the studio suddenly made more sense, and we felt more comfortable orientating ourselves. A key insight here is about exploring how to match the virtual environment with the real-world environment in subtle ways to facilitate a more natural and comfortable VR design experience.

4. ENGAGE SENSES IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD

As designers, our senses are permanently engaged, and they are an essential component of our creativity. How materials look, their texture, shape, and weight. The heat, smells, and sounds of the workshop. Holding, touching, and working with all the different tools we use. Any tool for designing in VR will need to work out how to simulate sensorial feelings experienced in the virtual world. More work needs to be done to discover ways of compensating for the general lack of sensor input in VR and to identify any psychological aspects we can engage with to create new sensorial feedback for the user. The key here will be to avoid trying to recreate real-life sensory experiences. Our senses are such primal parts of us that trying to do so will result in an uncanny valley, at best. Instead, it will be about creating a new sensorial palette for the virtual world. This palette should consider the bare minimum number of sensory cues needed to create the type of natural, subconscious connection to tools that we might experience in the real world. Functionality should always remain the most important driver, with new sensorial feedback and information introduced to enhance the overall experience.

 5. ESTABLISH A SENSE OF CONTROL 

We’ve been exploring VR design tools where multiple parties can dial in to the virtual design space, for example designers, engineers, and marketers, to discuss design work and give feedback. This throws up the challenge of how to establish a sense of hierarchy and control within the virtual design space. How can a virtual conversation or meeting be as compelling and as productive as the best design meetings that take place in the real world? How can design changes be tracked and feedback from multiple sources be logged in a way that makes sense in a VR context?

This leads us on to how to visually represent other collaborators in the virtual world, considering they might all be teleporting to different parts of the space to look at different parts of the design at any given moment. There are multiple avenues to explore, such as using real-life representations, avatars, characters, or maybe just using sound instead of visuals. Our own research into robotics has shown that the subtlest gesture can help infer intention and purpose, and we believe that creating virtual human forms may not be necessary. Again, it will be about creating a new vocabulary for human interaction in VR where the minimum amount of body language is required to facilitate the most engaging and collaborative creative experience possible.

We’re very excited about what the future holds for VR and how it can improve our work as designers. Our work is by no means a finished set of insights for creating VR design tools. Instead we hope that it will spark further discussion and debate around how best we can harness this most exciting of technology for the benefit of designers.

Lee Carroll is a senior interaction designer at Seymourpowell.