As designers of interactive experiences, Double Take Labs usually make works in the context of spaces: from museums to student halls. When lockdown descended, Eden Lew and Josh Corn began exploring what connecting looks like when the design requirement is that we don’t share a space — from their Lockdown Field Games to a taxonomy of “types of experiences” that can be done remotely. In the first, their beta test players virtually engaged in field games-style activities (think: relay race) that Josh and Eden monitored from the Double Take Labs office. They found that for remote playing, the stakes need to be higher so it doesn’t feel like one big video game. Soon, their virtual racers were sending printer paper hurtling towards a candle. Winner lights the office on fire. For this capsule, they have built a remote experience generator to get your ideas flowing.

A REMOTE EXPERIENCE GENERATOR

by double take labs

Who do you want to interact with?

Okay, but with how many people?

How comfortable are you with strangers?

How much time do you want to commit?

Do you want to interact...

What method of interaction would you prefer?

How intense of an interaction would you like?

What kind of remote experience could you have?

YOU MAY BE CRAVING WITH FOR YOU WANT TO INTERACT IN ORDER TO

IDEA #0 OUT OF 252

In today’s state of the world, we associate “remote” experiences with the usual video call, text conversation or workplace chat thread. We crave an active connection with people, but our screens flatten their physicality, diluting the experience to just another video, emoji or line of text. As designers who build interactive experiences, we believe that our constrained spatial distance can be a chance to creatively develop unique moments to help us get through the monotonous days as we keep each other safe.

We normally use a framework to develop experiences based on a spectrum of social gathering, time, place, and connective intensity; but with “place” restricted to homes, our generator instead focuses on the aspects of remoteness we can control: whether or not we interact at the same time, and what amount of physical action we can have in our own spaces. By exploring the combinations of experiential details, we’ve imagined 252 ideas for staying safely connected and active during this pandemic.

Start the remote experience generator

Double Take Labs is an experience design studio—and New Inc Alum—founded by creative technologist Josh Corn and designer Eden Lew. They create unique installations and exhibitions with a touch of "rigorous absurdity." Rigorous in the research and seriousness they give to even the most ridiculous of ideas; absurd in their way of using humor and delight to break down barriers to complex concepts. In 2019, they created a clumsy robot to explore the things a future robot takeover would be very bad at (theater performances, for one). More recently, they’ve been thinking about joy in a dystopian present and what makes a satisfying remote experience.

double take labs

From Brooklyn, NY

Website doubletake.design

Instagram @doubletakelabs