The word metaverse has so totally saturated the technology sector that its rampant overuse and misuse have become its own downfall. The metaverse needs a reality check and a regrounding in human needs. People use the term to describe nearly any AR or VR experience, or any sufficiently expansive, or merely popular, virtual game. It’s been used interchangeably with Web3, and has become intertwined with the concept of digital ownership enabled by NFTs. People argue that the metaverse has existed since VRChat, or…

Sparked by pivotal changes in humanity, technology, and culture, we believe that this decade marks the Conscious Era of digital transformation. An evolving level of consciousness between humans and machines is driving the need for digital experiences that are more intelligent, immersive, systemic, and social. These four areas of transformation are the guiding forces for conscious experience design and thoughtful product innovation, and they set the framework for our view of the future in 2023 and beyond.

In today’s increasingly distributed and remote world, we are all seeking new ways to connect with one another. Connecting with others through conversation and direct observation in product research is how we learn about who they are, what they do, how they do it, and why. Although the pandemic has…

Today we’re releasing our annual trends report, FutureView 2021. It was an interesting exercise as the partners of Punchcut sat together and discussed what we’ve learned from, arguably, one of the most tumultuous years in business history. As we looked at the agility and innovation of our clients in the…

Shifting from In-Person to Remote Research We are no longer conducting “research as usual.” At Punchcut, we understand how needs are rapidly evolving (both collectively and individually) because of COVID-19, and we’ve responded by adapting our research practice to fully remote methods. While we are mixed-method researchers, the pandemic has introduced additional complexities, not just for…

Every day, we encounter people we don’t know and we make assumptions about them. Consciously and unconsciously, we categorize them based on things like race, age, gender, the way they dress, or speak, or because of the kind of car they drive or phone they use. Our brains are wired…

Today’s businesses are facing change all around. Their success depends on how nimbly they can pivot and adapt in turning change into an opportunity for growth. Now, is the time to accelerate the power of design to tackle this change and transform it into opportunity. In a matter of months…

We’re entering a time of exponential technological progress and growing human awareness, calling for more mindful, conscious forms of design. / Digitally Connected, but Disconnected Over the past decade, digital technology has connected just about everything. From mobile to IoT, we’ve seen emerging technologies become normalized throughout the world. This digital transformation enables services to instantly connect us to our media, money, friends, family, healthcare, transportation, and more, from anywhere in the world.

This is the second of two articles about haptic design and provides an overview of human sensory systems and the technology created to manipulate those senses. The first article on Haptic Design Principles was published here. Beyond the Buzz Though you may not realize it, you’ve probably already encountered haptic technology through your…