Well, I made it there and back…six flights, eight airports, 750 workshops and talks, and at least 20 shuttles later, I’ve had the full-blown SXSWi (that’s South x South West Interactive to me and you) experience.
This huge festival, which attracts over 35,000 visitors from around the world, is held every March in Austin, Texas. With humble beginnings as a low-key music festival in 1987, it now comprises three separate events for Technology (Interactive), Film and Music.
There’s no doubt that technology development is moving at an increasingly faster rate all the time; one minute your iPad’s the latest thing, the next it’s so out-of-date you daren’t even bring it out of your front door in the morning because of the never-ending shame it would cast on you and your family. In the past, SXSWi has been the showcase for the likes of Twitter and FourSquare. And so, every Spring, the masses flock to SXSWi in search of local beer, good burgers, and the ‘next big thing’.
So what’s coming up on the tech horizon, courtesy of SXSWi?
QR codes: ‘Quick Response’ codes have been around for the past few years, but their extensive use at SXSWi signals a key swing in this area for the forthcoming year. If you’re not familiar with them, they are small, pixelated square images which any smartphone equipped with a QR code-reader can scan and translate into text, a web URL, an app… basically whatever it is that you’re trying to promote or sell. They were everywhere at SXSW – on posters, T-shirts, in magazines, even on our official passes. The volume of scans can be tracked by the initiator and be used to find QR ‘hotspots’ and provide plenty of other ‘big brother’-style stats. Word has it that they are now developing their ugly aesthetic so that they blend seamlessly into any photograph – Really looking forward to seeing that.
Word to the wise – a clear sign of QR codes’ future influence is that all mobile phones sold in Japan already come pre-loaded with QR code-reader apps. No doubt we’ll catch on eventually over here.
The game layer: I’m certainly not the biggest gamer in the world, but I can understand the appeal of inserting a game into an otherwise standard on-line service (i.e. adding a ‘game layer’) to make it more interesting. This design approach generally aims to make mundane transactions more fun by rewarding customers for repeated visits. SXSWi speakers were adamant, though, that adding a game layer just for the sake of it could be off-putting; rather, it has to be innovative and well thought out – a proper challenge.
Social technology: Several commentators have identified how international events, such as those in the Middle East recently, have caused a resurgence of the desire to use technology for socio-political means. Hot topics in this area were simultaneous action organised through social media, using social networking to promote human rights messages, hacking, and the importance of technology in journalism.
To be honest though, the highlight of this mammoth conference for me was the stand set up by the UK’s Guardian newspaper. (What can I say? I’m a design-o-phile.) A beautifully executed, simple recreation of an English tea room with a strikingly designed newspaper-print booklet and branded tea pots to accompany it. It reminded me that, by and large, London is miles ahead of most in the graphic design stakes. It’s the benchmark that helps us all to see that a simple concept developed with strong design skills can create a more powerful impact than most other high budget, ubiquitous designs created by worldwide technology companies.
Here’s to another year of SXSW – time to start saving for the next one.