”We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.”
Wilson Miner began his talk ‘When we build’, with this quote written by Marshall McLuhan and I was instantly hooked. Wilson miner is a well known digital designer from San Fransisco and has achieved many incredible things over the years, such as designing for Apple and Facebook. This talk introduced me to so many inspiring quotes and ideas that provided me with colossal amounts of motivation. I didn’t know what to expect before I watched this video and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I gained from it. Miner began his talk by explaining how fast the world is evolving and how new mediums brought into the world can change how we think, feel and the environment we live in. We can shape the world around us with the right tools. I immediately began to feel completely inspired and motivated, I got excited with the possibilities of how interaction design can change the world in new and exciting ways.
”We are not just designers, we are builders.”
Miner opened my eyes as to how with the right tools we can change the world. I found this particular quote intriguing as I had never really thought about how, if we have the right tools then we can really put a dent in the universe and nudge the world in the right direction. I now know that the smallest changes can make the biggest differences, but they must be the right changes.
”At times of change the learners are the ones who will inherit the world.”
I learned that it isn’t enough to rely on what we think we know and that designers always make assumptions. Miner explained that in order to build life changing creations then we must let go. We have to be more open with our ideas, thoughts and keep learning. I think that this particular section resonated with me. I must be open to learning new things as this environment is always changing and I should learn to listen to it. It is an exciting time for new tools, technologies and ideas. I think that I now realise how life changing the field I am going into is. Miner gave an example of how our lives are filling up with screens and the screens are shaping our environment. He showed footage of the worlds first computer and how it took up an entire room and now in 2020 we can access web pages on a watch.
He then asked the audience questions like, ‘What do we want our world to look like? What do we want to see grow?’ I too began to ask myself those important questions. When I leave this world behind what will I want to have created? How big will my dent be in this exciting field? I particularly liked this quote he included, ” Design is the choices we make for the world we want to live in.” Miner has completely changed my perceptions of this design, the environment and the importance of what we do. I now know that is isn’t just pretty interfaces and that this career is about molding the world that we live in. I have been greatly inspired and by the end of the video I completely agree with Wilson Miner- this really is a GREAT job.