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IDEO's Future of the Book

By Willem Van Lancker - September 21, 2010

in Tech

Today IDEO released a five-minute video exploring the future of digital books. Their illustrated concepts highlight some interesting opportunity areas in the publishing industry through three distinct reading experiences:

Nelson reinforces books as critical thinking tools, providing multiple perspectives, references, and current conversations on a single subject. The layers of information beyond the book itself provide greater context and encourages a deeper dive into the book throughout history and into the future.

Coupland addresses the challenge to stay on top of the thinking and writing in our world and professional field that so many of us feel. Readers can easily keep up with "must-reads" by following what colleagues are reading and interact with them through "book clubs" and other social layers (discussions, suggestions, lists, purchases) to help each other share and learn.

Alice explores new ways for users to interact and affect written narratives by introducing non-linear and game mechanics to reading. By introducing the reader's active participation, this concept "blurs the lines between reality and fiction." Certain interactions allow the reader to transcend traditional media by utilizing geographic location, communication with characters, and user contribution to storyline and plot.

The Future of the Book from IDEO on Vimeo.

A very cool blue sky project from IDEO to say the least. I enjoyed the way they chose to compartmentalize the functionality rather than attempting to redefine the book in a single all-inclusive interface (a failure we see in most of these concept projects). This project, and examples appearing all over the industry, only further prove that the future of books in the digital age does not lie in single solution but rather a utilization of technology to better address the wants and needs of users to share, interact, and learn more through specialized design solutions. We are certainly on the precipice of a whole new world for this morphed understanding of the "book."

If you are interested in hearing more about IDEO's project, check out the interview with two of the project's designers, Duane Bray and Robert Lenne, on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show. There's also a conversation about the topic going on over at IDEO's Facebook page.

Video and photos from IDEO.

[Disclosure: Willem VanLancker was employed at IDEO at the time of this post, but was not involved in the creation of the project.]

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thilo

14 years ago

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nice ideas, nice concept! i agree with tina and - since i've dealt with future reading in my diploma - i've got an idea:
> www.augmented-reading.de
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Schol

14 years ago

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I agree with Tina...

All this future vision of social networks around book is not book, just gadget way of life. A real 3D book stay the only true way for great imagination.... Stairway to heaven...

And for News, the immersive aspect is available with Pulse (i come from Pulse to you), FlipBoard and NewsRack on my iPad, i'm writing with.

Best regards...
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k1tsun3

14 years ago

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Both Coupland and Alice seem less like 'blue sky' and very much like things that are going on now. Coupland is really just GoodReads brought down to the level of one company, and Alice sounds like a video game in text rather than action. But I wonder how many authors would be willing to give up control of their characters and stories and be willing to let the reader create the story?
Nelson, on the other hand, is something I would very much like to see; it's what an internet newspaper ought to be like, rather than just a digital copy of the paper version. But will any newspapers survive long enough to create an online news site with that kind of depth?
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Tina

14 years ago

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A well designed book is a 3D multi sensory experience. Each real world 3D book, touches the heart, the brain and hopefully the soul, via all of the senses. It is about more than the words it contains. It is about the unique sum of its parts: paper, size, weight, smell, sound of pages turning, the texture of the illustrations. One book constantly changes and evolves as it is passed from reader to reader.
Whilst I appreciate there are many 'texts' that benefit from the digital treatment, the rise of companies such as Blurb' gives me some hope that there are others like me who appreciate the 'have and to hold', multi sensory magic of a real world 3D 'book'.
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