How Would you Remove Touch Cues from Elevators, Door Locks, and more?

Deadline: 2018-10-31
Award: $1,600
Open to: Everyone*

Traditionally, people have interacted with things like elevators, thermostats, security systems and door locks by pressing buttons, adjusting dials or using a smartphone app. Technologies are emerging so that the need to control these items in the same way may change. You may soon be able to give them cues without making those physical interactions. One might define these emerging technologies as “user interaction technologies” or “touchless interaction technologies."

We want to explore the ways that people can prompt these technologies to complete actions, whether it's calling an elevator that takes you to the correct floor, the hotel or home door unlocking for the right person, or knowing what room temperature makes you comfortable. We want to understand how we can easily let a user recognize that the technology is present and know how to prompt the technology.

Consider this example: You walk to the entrance of the supermarket and don't break stride as the automated glass doors slide open for you. You didn't have to touch them, and you didn't consciously think about whether you were about to walk face first into a door. We want to bring that same level of understanding to these “touchless interaction technologies” when they are available with our products

Tell us how you would bring touchless prompts to these technologies.