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Make It So

Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction 

Published: September 2012 Paperback: 348 pages, ISBN 1-933820-98-5 Digital: ISBN 1-933820-76-4

by Nathan Shedroff & Christopher Noessel

Make It So

Part futurist treatise, part design manual, and part cultural analysis, Make It So is a fascinating investigation of an often-overlooked topic: how sci-fi influences the development of tomorrow's machine interfaces."

—Annalee Newitz, Editor, io9 blog

Many designers enjoy the interfaces seen in science fiction films and television shows. Freed from the rigorous constraints of designing for real users, sci-fi production designers develop blue-sky interfaces that are inspiring, humorous, and even instructive. By carefully studying these "outsider" user interfaces, designers can derive lessons that make their real-world designs more cutting edge and successful.

Make It So shows:

  • Sci-fi interfaces have been there (almost) from the beginning
  • Sci-fi creates a shared design language that sets audience expectations
  • If an interface works for an audience, there's something there that will work for users
  • Bad sci-fi interfaces can sometimes be the most inspiring
  • There are ten "meta-lessons" spread across hundreds of examples
  • You can use—and not just enjoy—sci-fi in your design work
  • Over 150 lessons and 10 “meta“ lessons that developers can use to enhance their realworld interfaces

“Make It So” Blog

From Make It So

Sleep regulator

Posted by Christopher Noessel on May 17, 2013

To make your flight as short as possible, our flight attendants are switching on the sleep regulator, which will regulate your sleeping during the flight. First, props to screenwriters Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen for absolutely nailing annoying airline doublespeak. “Regulate your sleeping” means “knock you unconscious,” and even when Korben raises a finger … Continue reading »

Red mics

Posted by Christopher Noessel on May 16, 2013

We saw in an earlier post how the military uses communication headsets with red LEDs in the tips of the antennas that provide a social signal about the attention of its wearer. On board the spaceship to Fhloston Paradise, the same technique is used to signal functioning microphones. The simple status signal of glowing signals … Continue reading »

Parasites in landing gear

Posted by Christopher Noessel on May 15, 2013

Rhod’s rod

Posted by Christopher Noessel on May 15, 2013

One of the most delightfully flamboyant characters in sci-fi is the radio star in The Fifth Element, Ruby Rhod. He wears a headpiece to hear his producers as well as to record his own voice. But to capture the voices of others, he has a technological staff that he carries. Function The handle of the … Continue reading »

Fuel cell

Posted by Christopher Noessel on May 14, 2013

Just before the spaceship takes off for Fhloston Paradise, the audience gets to see the manual interface that the airport employees use to refuel the ship. On the tarmac beneath the spaceship, the ground crewman plugs in a portable control box to the underside of the plane, and presses a button to open a hatch … Continue reading »