futuristic user interfaces
VisualPunker has amassed a ↑nice collection [containing a lot of animated gifs] of futuristic and retrofuturistic interfaces and HUDs from anime, other motion pictures, and computer games. In this respect I fullheartedly recommend ‘↑Make it so: Interaction design lessons from science fiction‘ (Shedroff & Noessel 2012):
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
There is a ↑companion blog to the book, carrying additional visual material, interviews, and more. All this is a fine example of the to and fro between fictional and non-fictional technology, the mutual influences, one creating and reproducing the other and vice versa.