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Thesis Report
Umeå University / Umeå Institute of Design
Umeå Sweden 2018
The rise of mental transportation
By: Antti Laukkanen
Program Director: Demian Horst
Project tutors: Jan Haacke & Jonas Sandström
Sponsored by: Volkswagen
T HAN K Y O U | K I I TO S !
“
It has been a long journey. In 2015, when I To my colleagues, batch mates, and friends. The
started my studies in UID, I could have never way we support each other, give and take feed-
imagined how it feels to be where I am right back, is something that I will always look for
Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges now. Mixed feelings of relief, wistfulness and in the people, where ever I work in the future.
over which they invite their students to cross, then having most of all gratitude. Along the journey, I have I hope this is just a beginning of the journey
met awesome people, made everlasting friends together and we will all stay in contact and see
facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging
and got guidance from people that I will look each other, where ever the industry takes us.
them to create bridges of their own up to forever. This project was only a tip of the Special thanks go to Viljami who I shared my
- Nikos Kazantzakis iceberg of all that I mentioned above. problems with and to whom I was able to talk
nonsense when everything seemed to be falling
I want to say thank you for all of those who I apart.
worked during these three amazing years. All of
those who stood beside me through tough times To Volkswagen. Thanks for giving me the op-
(there were many). All of those who challenged portunity to develop my skills during my first
me to be a better designer and no matter what I internship in Wolfsburg, and later on for feed-
did, always asked for more. The feeling that the back and support during my degree project.
result is never enough, is painful, but it is the Special thanks go to Jan Haacke and Fernando
only reason why we keep developing. Hillman. Without your constructive feedback,
I wouldn’t have been able to succeed with the
My special thanks go to Demian Horst. Without project as well as I did.
you, UID and TD wouldn’t be what it is today.
Your devotion is something that I truly admire. Last but not least, thanks to my family. The sup-
Needless to say, where ever my career takes me, port I got from you is far greater than feedback,
DEMIAN HORST JONAS SANDSTRÖM JAN HAACKE
I will always owe you one. Like you once said to sketching tips or technical support. The support
Program Director Project tutor Project tutor (Volkswagen)
me: Never change! is to have a place to come home, a place to for-
get it all for a while and for your unconditional
Thank you, Jonas, for great feedback sessions love.
during our degree projects. During tough times,
your positive and encouraging attitude gave me
energy and confidence to push forward.
TAB L E O F C O NT E NT S
ABSTRACT 7 CREATIVE PROCESS 37
INTRODUCTION 8 YEAR 2040
PROCESS STORYBOARDS
RESEARCH DESIGN PROCESS
1 VOLKSWAGEN 10
RESULT 62
1.1 People’s car
1.2 Expanding empire and emission scandal VOLKSWAGEN V-TREK
1.3 Strategy 2025
2 GENERATION ALPHA 14 CONCLUSION 76
2.1 Dynamic generation
2.2 How Alphas think? REFERENCES 78
2.3 Problems of digitalization
2.4 Predominant technologies
2.5 Interaction trends
2.6 How to reach Alphas?
2.7 Social Media
3 URBANIZATION 20
3.1 Urban transportation
3.2 Megacities
3.3 Megacities and nature
4 DIGITAL REALITIES 24
4.1 VR
4.2 AR
4.3 MR
4.4 How to create immersive experience?
5 TRAVELING AND TRANSPORTATION 30
5.1 Forms of traveling
5.2 Virtual traveling
5.3 Transportation as we know it
6 VISION 2040 34
6.1 Experiences over hardware
GOALS & WISHES 37
ABSTRACT
I started this project with a mindset that I want in 3D for development of the form and archi-
to design something for younger generations tecture. Later on in the process, it was easy to
living in the future megacities. After a while, transform those mockups into sketch models
trying to figure out their urban mobility needs, and for testing in VR.
I came to this conclusion: Already today we
have so many different options for urban com- The most important part of the project was the
muting as well as several different car sharing story and scenario, which justifies and ex-
services. I couldn’t find a way to create some- plains the whole concept. I started planning the
thing new. I changed my approach and I started scenario and the details early on which made
thinking; what is it that they don’t have? I pret- it easier for me to visualize it in finalization
ty soon understood it. They have no nature. phase.
By the year 2040, 70% of world’s population is This project also raises a question: What comes
expected to live in urban areas. This, in turn, is next in the field of transportation and mobil-
diminishing the natural environments around ity? For years’ cars and transportation have
the globe. Needless to say, that people are remained the same. We move from place A to B,
becoming more and more disconnected from this is what I call: Physical transportation. Right
nature. In my research I quoted George Monbiot now we are living times of change as autono-
from The Guardian: “If Children lose contact mous technology is finally breaking through.
with nature, they won’t fight for it.” This de- However, cars have always been about the driv-
scribes the problem to the core. Coming gen- ing experience and in autonomous future; trav-
erations need to know where all that we have eling experience. Because of the changing atti-
comes from. This is why I decided to create a tudes towards cars amongst youth, cars are not
way, people in megacities can connect to nature seen as a pleasant experience anymore. Rather
instantly. as a necessity. Experiences engage users with
brands, whether it is a smartphone or a car,
Volkswagen V-Trek offers an instant escape to and this is what young users appreciate. When
nature from megacities to conservation areas Physical transportation is no longer delivering
around the world. With an immersive full- that experience, car brands need to figure out
body experience, V-Trek engages people with a way to engage the users. This is where Mental
nature, as well as with Volkswagen as a brand. Transportation changes the game.
The concept is demonstrated in a visual story.
The scenario of the events was created based on Mental Transportation is a term I came up with
predictions and possible events in the future. along the process and as the name suggests, it
enables users to travel in their mind. With the
Most of the time in my process I used for re- idea of mental transportation, I want to chal-
search about VR and other technologies related lenge everyone to think differently and with
to the topic. As the physical movement is an an open mind about the future of mobility and
important part of the concept, and because I transportation.
wanted to enhance it on the platform, I spent
time trying to figure it out. When things started Enjoy the story.
to get together, I began to shape quick mockups
1
6 7
INTRODUCTION
MY APPROACH THE PROCESS
When the industry is changing as well as the The process is divided into research and cre-
expectations of the users, companies like Volk- ative process. In the research, I will study
swagen need to stay on top of their game. Rath- coming generations, technological innovations,
er than coming up with rational and practical trends and the problems we are facing along
solutions and products I want to paint an image with all this. This research gives me the base for
of unexpected and provoking user journey, that starting to shape the future scenario of 2040.
consists of steps which will eventually strength- The concept will be explained through a visual-
en the brand image and create a bond that is ized story of the user journey that explains the
stronger than just a need for a car and mobility. need, use and possible effects of the concept. It
will also show the relevance of the project for
When designing something for many years future cars and transportation services.
ahead it is important to be aware that there are
2 no wrong and right predictions and directions.
This project is one of those possible “What if’s”.
Considering the challenges and inevitabilities
My thesis project is a vision for the year 2040, necessity for moving and it is losing its symbol that we are facing, I think it is only necessary to
aimed at young users in future megacities. It is as freedom and joy. Technology is the most im- think what role Volkswagen wants to play in the
a study of a new form of transportation and it portant thing for younger generations and this future. What is our role and how can companies
aims to connect the people living in these enor- is why tech giants like Apple, Google, Amazon like Volkswagen help us to achieve the bright-
mous urban areas with no physical connection and many more are taking the role of ruling est possible tomorrow for ourselves and for the
to authentic natural environments. If coming companies in everything we see and use daily. generations after us?
generations lose the connection to our only Car companies need to adapt and show their
valuable asset, nature, they won’t fight for it. ability for using latest advances in technology
With open mind and boldness in thinking, I cre- and utilize them to create new experiences to
ated a future scenario with speculative design attract the future users. If the role of a car is
approach and I am aiming for discussion about changing, can we find a new perspective for
the direction to which we are heading with the transportation in general?
future of transportation.
“The companies that best position themselves
WHY? as the vanguard of the latest and greatest
technology—supporting not just the vehicles
I grew up in a beautiful village in Finland, themselves but rather the entire digital vehicle
where nature was always present and accessi- ecosystem—will find themselves winning the
ble, just in our backyard. Later in my life, I have game of powerful brand storytelling.”
been living in bigger cities and what always
strikes me, is the urge for forests, lakes and -Kristal Overmyver (Skyword.com 2018)
everything else but the concrete jungle we have
built around ourselves. When I was figuring My concept – V-Trek – offers a quick escape
out the topic for this project my first objective from cities to authentic natural environments.
was to create something for urban commuting The list of positive effects of nature is too long
and solve problems within that area. However, I to be written here, but some of the most im-
came to understand that in the future our pub- portant things that the concept will offer, are
lic transportation will be efficient and young awareness of our actions to nature and the
people have many different possible transpor- opportunity for everyone to see what these en-
tation solutions in their hands, but what they vironments are all about. Ultimately the con-
are lacking is the way to escape the suppressing cept is aiming to create a personal connection
city environment. to nature for each of its users and through the
experience, it will also bring back the emotional
HOW? relationship between people and Volkswagen,
the emotion and thrill that Volkswagen used to
From generation to generation, the role of a car stand for. All this in a sustainable, responsible
3
has changed. Already today, a car is becoming a and innovative way.
8 9
1 | V O L K S WA G E N
Beetle and its numerous variants remained as a gen has bought companies like Skoda, Bentley,
flagship for Volkswagen until 1974, although its Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche and motorcycle
production would still last many decades. Bee- manufacturer Ducati.
tle was succeeded by Golf, a model that would
be the most sold car of the brand until today. Volkswagen made a steady job for years being
Golf was a part of Volkswagen’s new generation one of the biggest car companies in the world,
with Passat, Scirocco, and Polo. They were Volk- but on September 8th in 2015 a storm arose.
swagen’s first air-cooled and front-wheel drive United States Environmental Protection Agen-
cars. In 1999 Type 1 was nominated to be the cy (EPA) found out that Volkswagen Group had
fourth most influential car of the 20th century, intentionally manipulated their diesel-engine
after the Ford Model T, the Mini and the Citroen emissions in laboratory emission testing. In
DS. January 2017 Volkswagen was pleading guilty to
4
the emission scandal and to pay $4,3 billion in
1.2 EXPANDING EMPIRE AND EMISSION SCAN- penalties. Volkswagen as a brand took an enor-
DAL mous hit, but the only way was up.
Volkswagen is the largest car company in the a radio receiver for households. This talks about
world and it has a rather colorful history. From the semantics behind the name Volkswagen, After introducing these new models in 1970’s,
Third Reich to emission scandal, it has always products that are available for everyone. with few ups and downs, Volkswagen started to
been able to maintain its position at the top of gain a strong foothold in the car industry. Volk-
the markets. The first and the most well-known Volkswagen swagen bought Auto Union in 1964 and NSU in
Type 1, also known as Beetle, was designed in 1969. These two companies merged into Audi.
1.1 PEOPLE’S CAR 1938 by engineer Ferdinand Porsche and his In 1990 Volkswagen Group bought Spanish car
team. Due to World War 2 and other complica- manufacturer Seat and since then Volkswa-
In the early 1930’s Germany’s car industry was tions in Germany’s history, Beetle still didn’t
mainly consisting of luxury models and people reach high sales numbers until the early 1950’s.
were mostly not able to afford to buy a car. Due In 1955 the sales of the Beetle increased dra-
to this, companies started to seek new markets matically to over 1 million units (Paul Hock-
with a philosophy of “people’s car”. enos, Beetle Mania, 2013).
In 1934 Adolf Hitler stepped into the picture by The second model, that deserves to be highlight-
ordering a vehicle, which would be able to carry ed is Type 2, also known as the “van” and many
two adults and three children. He wanted all other names. Like Beetle, Type 2 did not imme-
the German families to have access to personal diately rise to the top of the sales list. It became
transportation and people’s car would be a way popular during the counterculture movement
to fulfill this requirement. This “products for in 1960’s and that is when it also gained the
all” mentality did not only apply to cars, but al- nickname “hippie-bus”.
so to different products like “Volksempfänger”,
5 6 7
10 11
1 VOLKSWAGEN
1.3 STRATEGY 2025 autonomous driving technology. Their initia-
tive is to bring highly automated driving tech-
In 2015 Volkswagen AG kicked-off a compre- nology to market as early as in 2021. This vi-
hensive process to change its strategy and their sion involves privately owned cars, car sharing
ambitious goal was set to be a leading provid- systems, and commercial vehicles. Volkswagen
er of sustainability, safety, and integrity. The set up a mobility company called MOIA in 2016,
strategy highlights also the importance of elec- which is an exclusive shared transportation
tricity, automated driving, improved user-expe- system. In all this, user experience plays a big
rience and smart mobility offering. Re-gaining role and Volkswagen AG is aiming to be one of
the trust from their customers and investors is the top companies in perspective of UX design.
also important and Volkswagen is being very
transparent with their future plans and all the “Under the direction of Audi, a company is cur-
info and strategies are accessible at Volkswa- rently being founded that will develop a Group-
genag.com. wide self-driving system. Strategic partner-
ships are also being explored.”
“The New Group strategy is not the work of
external consultants. It came straight from the - Volkswagen AG, Strategy 2025
heart of our company.”
Volkswagen Cars itself is aiming to bring the
- Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Manage- brand back to its place among the leading
ment Board car makers in the world. This strong vision is
9
summed up in the company’s strategic goal:
Company’s product portfolio is going through
an update and Volkswagen AG is pushing to “We will bring the future into production – as
have more future driven electrified models in the world market leader for electric mobility.
their product line-up. Until the year 2025 Volk- We will advance society and our customers’
swagen AG is focusing on offering more than business – with ingenuity and passion. We will
30 new electric vehicles, but at the same time, bring our strengths to the job – to shape our
it is looking to strengthen its conventional transformation together.”
product portfolio in some specific markets.
As Volkswagen AG is looking into future with - Volkswagen AG, Strategy 2025
alternative drive trains, it does the same with
8
12 13
2 | G E N E R AT I O N AL P HA
What is generation Alpha? Alphabet ends at In the next few decades, this gap between
Z so the question has been, what comes after. generations in western and developing coun-
TEDx speaker, futurist, and a demographer tries will most likely fade away. Because of the
Mark McGrindle started to call anyone born affordable and accessible technology and con-
after 2010, to be part of generation Alpha. Ac- nectivity, Alpha generation will fuse into one
cording to McGrindle, there are over 2,5 million unified Global generation. They will share same
Alphas born every week and this generation will trends, ideas, and visions worldwide. Accord-
be the biggest known. ing to Mark McGrindle, this global connectivity
will make the leap from generation Z to Alpha,
Alphas will grow up using iPads, smart phones, biggest in the history.
and technologies which others are just starting
to get used to. They are always connected all 2.2 HOW ALPHAS THINK?
around the globe in a matter of seconds. All this
will reshape Alphas ways of interacting with For the past generations, most of the actions
the world around them and with each other. and interactions have been based on physical-
Interaction will be easy, seamless and instant. ity. As an example paper and pen. For Alphas
This new generation will bring challenges and everything will turn into digital form and this
danger along with them, but also hope. will change the way they interact with their
surroundings and each other. This forces car
“In the past, the individual had no power. Now, makers and other brands to adapt to this new
the individual has great control of their lives way of experiencing, learning and communicat-
through being able to leverage this world. Tech- ing.
nology, in a sense, transformed the expecta-
tions of our interactions.” It is always difficult to predict and understand
how all technology will affect the coming
- Mark McGrindle (www.businessinsider.com, generations. Millennials were told not to use a
2015) calculator too often, because they won’t carry it
everywhere they go. Yeah right. Now the youth
This chapter will look at generation Alpha as a are being told that Google will make them stu-
target group, without contemplating too much pid and social media will turn them to un-so-
about their attitude towards cars and transpor- cial and excluded. Some of these claims can be
tation. The project’s objective is to design a next true and of course, there is a need for caution.
Volkswagen mobility service for them, so it is However, all this new technology and platforms
necessary to know how to attract and connect will also develop them. It needs to be told that
with them. The question is, how to meet their it is alright if people change from generation to
expectations and arouse the emotional relation- generation. Alphas will be different than Gen-
ship to cars, once again? eration Z and Millennials, it needs to be em-
braced.
2.1 DYNAMIC GENERATION
Technology can also have positive effects. A
Generation Alpha will be the most dynamic gen- study from 2003, carried out by Nature, shows
eration seen so far. For them, the world is just that teenagers who played video games on a
one click away from their smart devices and regular basis had better visual skills and even
there is no place where they could not reach higher scores on intelligent tests. Still, Millen-
out to it. Today China and India are the most nials were told that they are only harm and
populous countries and they will just strength- should be restricted. As a matter of fact, the
en their position in that matter. The genera- study by Nature shows that as a result of gam-
tion-terms that most of us are used to is just ing and use of digital media can cause some-
mostly concerning the western countries and thing called the Flynn’s effect. This effect is
their economic structure. This labeling does used to describe the effect when generations by
not work so well with developing countries and generation people will grow smarter. We should
in the past, their generational structure might embrace the technology as an opportunity and
have been different or even lag behind. not be scared of it. 10
14 15
2 GENERATION ALPHA
2.3 PROBLEMS OF DIGITALIZATION survey also tells that teenagers now drink less,
date less and go out less. However, this survey
Alphas will eventually give more and more pow- by US Monitoring future is only based on cor-
er for computers. This can result in a scenario relation and not on causation.
where they don’t need to remember or know
anything themselves. When all the information Several studies also show that digitality can
and knowledge is at their fingertips can make also have the opposite impact. Proving this kind
Alphas dumber and reliant on computers. So to of relationship between teenagers and technol-
say, this topic of digitalization is a double sided ogy is almost impossible and more important is
sword. that how technology is being used. Alphas will
grow up using social media and in fact, those
Another problem is the lack of real-life and platforms can also boost their self-esteem and
social interaction. A Psychologist Jean Twenge make them happier. The best case scenario for
says: “Teenagers now spend an average of six Alphas would be to connect social media and
hours a day on the internet, social media or digitality with physical and real-life interac-
texting” (Source: US Monitoring future). The tions into one place.
12 13
2.4 PREDOMINANT TECHNOLOGIES the complicated algorithms that it collects from
its user. AI will shape this generations expecta-
As Alphas grow up, technology will grow and tions and hopes for the future technology.
develop alongside them. AI (Artificial intelli-
gence) and voice will become common and easy Because of AI, devices will not be only machines
ways of interaction between human and ma- anymore. The AI systems that we have seen so
chine. Keyboards and screens will make room far, cannot show emotions and they are only
for gestural interfaces and other innovative shooting out facts and information. Next step
alternatives. with AI-driven devices will be their ability to
show emotions and read them. This is made
So what will be these major technological possible with face recognition and an ability to
trends? According to Ofcom’s report, 41% of understand different tones of speech. One ex-
five to fifteen-year-old children own a smart ample of a system like this is called Cozmo. It is
phone and 44% own a tablet (Source: Ofcom, developed by a company called Anki and it can
Children, and parents: media use and attitudes communicate with movements and emotions.
report, 2016). Especially tablets are popular Emotions are expressed through eyes which are
among three to six-year-old children and no displayed on a screen on its face.
less than 55% are using them.
Alphas will expose themselves to these technol-
While these technologies are still strong, they ogies from young age. When older generations
are quite old. Smarter technologies are on their are confronted with these devices, they can be
way and for example, AI will be a norm for skeptical and respond with awe. Alphas do not
11
Alphas, as they grow up using it. AI will offer know of anything else.
even more personalized experiences because of
16 17
2 GENERATION ALPHA
2.5 INTERACTION TRENDS
2.6 HOW TO REACH ALPHAS?
Screens will probably disappear during coming
years and voice will increasingly take over as a Companies and brands need to reach out and
major communication channel with devices. Al- connect with generation Alpha. In this sea of
ready now we have systems like Amazon Echo, different platforms and super-connected users,
Google home, and Apple Siri. These systems are it can be challenging to choose the right chan-
affecting Alphas already now while they are nel and engage with.
still playing games. It is actually quite exciting
that screens will make room for something else. Brands and marketers have had a hard time to
After all, they are limiting their users from the figure out the expectations and needs of gener-
environment. For example, voice interaction ation Z and Millennials and Alphas won’t be any
will allow roomier and fulfilling experience easier, vice versa. If brands are hoping to stay
with devices and also with the environment. on top of their game and remain relevant and
Voice will also allow young users to interact appealing, they will need to adapt to this rapid-
with these devices whereas keyboards were lim- ly progressive network of technologies.
iting them due to lack of skills like reading.
Meaning that companies even with less experi-
Voice will not be the only rival for screens and ence about technologies and platforms, which
keyboards. Physical interfaces are breaking are popular among youth, will need to be able to
the surface as well, although at their present use them for marketing and connecting. As an
state they are not as popular as voice. Physical example AR. Snapchat is extremely popular for
interaction also adds another dimension to the young people and also some companies are of-
interaction we have with our devices and envi- fering shopping possibilities with this technolo-
ronment. Augmented reality (AR) will also be a gy. When Alphas are shopping by using AR, they
big thing for the future and it opens up totally will start to expect the same from any service
new playgrounds and interesting areas for in- they buy, no matter what the company is.
novation. It gives us interesting possibilities to
explore and experience our surroundings. More
about AR in the next chapter.
14 15
18 193 | U R BAN IZ AT I O N
made out of this that maybe our cities will be each one of them with a population more than
better off with fewer cars. Urban transporta- 30 million. China alone has 15 megacities and
tion is made easy with many different options the US has two; Metropolitan areas of New York
and we should be focusing on what the future and Los Angeles.
generations are lacking in the future cities.
Projection and research conducted by the
“We started transporting ourselves in a much University of Ontario suggest that by the year
more organized and coordinated way when 2050 there will be close to 60 megacities. Most
public transport became easier, quicker and of them in Asia and South-America. This pro-
more convenient than the car. Now I can hardly jection tells that the number of megacities is
believe that we accepted congestion and traf- not going to rise exponentially, but some of
fic jams, not to mention the air pollution from the largest cities are going to get even larger.
combustion engines. What were we thinking?” It is also possible that some of the megacities
come together with their metropolitan areas
– Ida Auken (Welcome to 2030. I Own Nothing, and fuse into enormous megacity complexes.
Have No Privacy, and Life Has Never Been Bet- This scenario is also painted in a comic book
ter) “Judge Dredd”. In this book, Megacity-One is
one connected city covering the whole Eastern
3.2 MEGACITIES US. Although this scenario is fiction, in theory,
it is possible. Anyone can imagine that living in
Megacities are cities or metropolitan areas with a place like this can be suffocating with no way
a population larger than 10 million. In 2017 to escape the concrete jungle and surrounding
there are 47 megacities worldwide and the larg- crowd.
16
est cities are Tokyo, Shanghai and Jakarta and
When people from rural areas are moving to 3.1 URBAN TRANSPORTATION
urban areas and cities and so enabling cities
to grow, it is called urbanization. Urbanization Transportation is one of the biggest topics
is common in developing and developed coun- of urbanization. As we all know, the world is
tries as people move in order to get better social already filled with cars and an average Amer-
services, healthcare, jobs, and education. When ican spends 9 years of their lives in their cars.
urbanization is increasing, rural areas are (Source: Gaia Vince, BBC.com / 2013) China has
often seen as unattractive and difficult places even bigger problems and their six-lane roads
to live as lots of businesses and services move are already clogged with traffic. It is obvious
to cities as well. This just increases the speed of that urban areas and cities need to rely on dif-
this phenomena and despite the positive effects ferent forms of public transportation and other
of this movement, it also brings along several smart commuting options.
issues and challenges.
Public transportation is constantly developing
In 1960, only 30% of world’s population was liv- new systems and services are created from time
ing in urban areas. Today the number is approx- to time. As an example is the Hyperloop. Su-
imately 60%, which is equivalent to 3,7 billion per-fast train system and a brainchild of Elon
people. The trend is not showing any signs of Musks. First Hyperloop connection is expected
slowing down and by the year 2030, 75% of the to be launched by the year 2021 between San
world’s population is expected to live in cities. Francisco and Los Angeles and many more con-
From today’s 60% the number is expected to nections worldwide are planned.
double by the year 2050. (Sources: Max Galka,
Huffingtonpost.com / 2016 & Daniel Runde, Like in many other areas of services, sharing
Forbes.com / 2015) is a big thing in the future. At the moment
car sharing services in big cities are popular.
Let alone bike and other small forms of urban
commuting services. There is a conclusion to be 17
20 213 URBANIZATION
3.3 MEGACITIES AND NATURE won’t fight. Coming generations are in danger
to be estranged from nature and something
It goes without saying that when urban areas should be done to prevent that. Children and
are enlarging, natural areas are diminishing. youth are our hope and we should be count-
Just like today, cities will have their green areas ing on them. Today most of the people that are
and parks in the future. Because of increasing fighting for nature are the ones that spent their
education and awareness of sustainability and childhood exploring it.
climate change, the future cities can be even
greener and more sustainable than ever. Still, So why it is so important to be connected to na-
the parks and green areas within cities can nev- ture? First of all, seeing how nature is suffering
er be authentic and equal to natural parks and because of pollution and our actions, will raise
wilderness. This is because they don’t have real awareness. It will create a personal connection
ecosystems in them and they are lacking all of to those consequences for each one of us wit-
the things that make our natural environments nessing it. Seeing how ice is melting and taking
precious to us and earth. away the natural habitat of polar bears will
certainly make you think twice, how you could
Already today we have youth that is born into have a positive impact to save those animals. Or
big cities and spend their whole life inside the seeing how rainforests are cut down in the Am-
city borders. They might have never experi- azons will probably make you understand that
enced real natural environments and smelled little actions can have big impacts.
fresh forest air or seen wildlife in general. This
can have a serious effect on their health and de- Nature also has lots of positive effects on our
velopment. TV channel Eden conducted a survey health and mentality. Biophilia hypothesis is a
which found out that more eight-to-12-years- term that suggests that people have an urge to
olds can identify a Dalek than an owl. In Tokyo, seek connections to nature and living forms of
kids were asked to draw sea creatures and along life. Naturally, lack of biophilia will disconnect
with fishes and seahorses, some kids drew us even more from nature.
fish sticks. However, Stephen Moss, naturalist,
broadcaster and author claims that more and
more kids are interested in the natural world,
but yet far fewer ever actually experience it.
From big cities, it can be hard to get out there
and travel to these locations. Many just won’t
see the effort and many won’t have the funds to
do it. In the future traveling will probably just
get more expensive due to increasing price of
oil and just because it is not sustainable. The
biggest reason is just that because of expanding
urban areas, natural environments are out of
reach.
“If children lose contact with nature they won’t
fight for it”
- George Monbiot (Thegueardian.com, 2013)
The coming generations are taught to be sus-
tainable and they will be aware of the conse-
quences nature is facing because of our actions.
However, when nature becomes a distant con-
cept for them, they will lose the connection to
it. Needless to say, that when we lose the con-
18
nection to what we should be fighting for, we
22 234 | D I G I TAL R EAL I T I E S
Digital realities are computer generated and 4.1 VR gle. Oculus Rift was one of the first companies 4.2 AR
simulated experiences and realities that in to introduce VR into the game industry. Origi-
some level are realistic and people can interact Virtual reality is at the moment the most devel- nally founded in 2012 the company was bought Like mentioned before, AR is a mix of VR and
with them. These realities can be embedded oped of digital realities. At its current state, VR by Facebook in 2014 and has been since the Augmented reality. It places virtual content on
into virtual environments or merged with the can be experienced through immersive mul- additional priority of the company, to com- top of our real environments. AR must allow us-
real world environments. Experiences that are timedia data like 360° video, where the user bine social experiences with VR. Most of the VR ers to see the world as it is right now and inter-
totally based on the virtual world are called VR can look around in any direction, but cannot companies are focusing on combining headsets act through virtual features within the physical
(Virtual reality) and experiences that are hap- move freely. VR, as its name suggests, is mostly with powerful computers. Samsung’s approach environment. One form of AR is really simple.
pening simultaneously in the virtual and real used in totally virtual environments, where the to the technology has been different. Samsung
world are called AR (Augmented reality). There user can interact with one’s surroundings and Gear VR lets the user get rid of expensive com- When users watch football for example and see
is also a mix of these two technologies; MR objects. The most important thing in VR is that puters and allows Android-based phones to act the scores on the football field, it is AR. More
(Mixed reality). At first, this might sound con- the real world is shut out entirely. This makes it as stereoscopic screens for the headsets. Goo- specifically, it is called projected AR. The oth-
fusing, because it is really close to AR, but they possible for the experience to be as authentic as gle Cardboard is as its name suggests, literally er type of AR is a bit more complicated. In it, a
two differ from each other. possible. a cardboard headset. It uses the same idea of separate screen overlays virtual content to our
mobile VR as Samsung’s GearVR, but only with environment. Once something has been over-
For all of these technologies, the goal is to cre- Virtual reality is implemented by using pow- 20 dollars. Although the experience is not as laid, computers and form recognition allows
ate a lifelike experience. The entertainment val- erful computer technology and is being used immersive, Cardboard allows more and more users to manipulate the content with physical
ue of these systems is clear and they are most through different systems like Headsets, Om- people to get in touch with VR. objects. This is called layered AR.
popular in video game and movie industry. ni-directional treadmills and some wearables
However, in businesses where objectives are too like gloves for example. The goal of these sys- These were just some of the major players in VR Examples of layered AR are when some retail-
dangerous, expensive or impractical to achieve tems is to stimulate and create a realistic expe- industry and developing computers and compe- ers are using it for creating a new shopping
in real life, these technologies are the answer. rience as possible. tition in the field is bringing in new companies experience for customers. Customers can look
Some fields like this are healthcare, education, all the time. This can only be a good thing as it through products on their phones or other de-
military uses et cetera. Some of the major players in VR at the moment speeds up the development of Digital realities vices, let’s say curtains for example. Once nice
are Oculus Rift, Facebook, Samsung, and Goo- in general. curtains are found, the customer can drag them
19
24 254 DIGITAL REALITIES
4.4 HOW TO CREATE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE? We humans know and experience the world
around us through our five main senses: Taste,
Firstly, what means immersion? The dictionary touch, smell, sight, and hearing. These senses,
defines it “The state of being deeply engaged however, are just the most obvious ones. There
or involved”. So naturally, when talking about are also several other not so obvious senses.
virtual reality, it is about being present in the Senses like balance. All these senses ensure that
virtual world. All people can feel immersion we have a good experience of our environment
while watching a movie or reading a book, but and in contrary, lack of simulation of these
bringing immersion into the virtual world takes senses ensure that we have a bad experience. So
a bit more effort and it is not only about imagi- when we need to create an immersive virtual
nation. It requires physical simulation as well. experience, we need to make sure all of these
senses are taken care off.
20
from the phone and see the curtains through sound and total understanding of the environ-
the device’s screen in their own living room and ment and its shapes, MR allows the holograms
evaluate how it would actually look. Also, one to sound, look and behave just like in the real
really simple example of layered AR is Snap- world and also interact with each other. As
chat. All the filters that the users can use while an example, communication: Holoportation
taking selfies are using AR technology. Like VR, would allow users in different locations to sit
AR is also used in many different fields like in a same virtual space and interact with each
medicine, tourism, at workplaces, maintenance other. Like in all digital realities, the uses for
and many more. MR are limitless. Even broader than with VR
and AR. Sports, music, television, medicine, real
4.3 MR estate and virtually everything we can imagine.
Mixed reality, like the name, suggests is a mix In the best case scenario, MR would first re-
of AR and VR together. It can be difficult to place our mobile phones and slowly start to
categorize MR as its own, because like AR, MR is replace all of our devices like laptops and TVs.
also overlaying virtual content into the physical All these products can become available in just
world. However, the main focus of MR is that one pair of glasses. The key for MR to become
the virtual contents are anchored to real phys- more popular lies exactly in the availability
ical objects. For example, the user would be in for consumers. The devices at the moment are
a room where virtual characters are sitting on mainly meant for enterprises and companies.
a real couch and the user can interact with the Engineers, visualization professionals, and
characters in real time. surgeons. The biggest name in the industry is
Microsoft and its product Hololens and its retail
The primary goal or MR is to allow users to in- price is up to 3000 dollars. Cheaper devices are
teract seamlessly with the real physical world in sight and the competition in the industry is
with the virtual objects projected on it, like speeding up the development. 21
holograms. By using transparent lenses, spatial
26 274 DIGITAL REALITIES
VISION other dimension, because the objects are not
really there. With technology that captures
This can be more complicated than it sounds. and 3D maps all textures and shapes of a giv-
Some of these senses are easier to take care of, en environment, we could get pretty close to
like hearing and feeling winds and tempera- tackling these challenges. Wearing gloves that
tures, but some of them will bring challenges. If give haptic feedback depending on what the
anything in the virtual world is little off, when user is touching or wearing shoes that vibrate
can usually notice it. Just as an example, human differently depending on the texture the user is
vision is not like a video frame. We have basi- walking on. However, in the end in VR world it
cally 180° field of vision and although the last is not crucial to be able to pick objects or move
degrees are blurry we would notice if it wasn’t anything or anything like this can also be done
so. Vision at its current state in VR is a big prob- with gesture controls.
lem. The depth of vision in our current headsets
is only on the horizon in the VR world, so as MOVING AND BALANCE
soon as we move our head the illusion breaks.
We see that the world is moving with our heads Moving in VR is always challenging and in VRs
even though it should be the other way around. current state it is almost impossible. In the
This, in particular, can cause motion sickness, markets we have Omni-direction treadmills
the biggest enemy of VR. The problem is about and all kinds of platforms for racing, flying et
the development of volumetric environments cetera, but the key to moving is that it should be
and positional VR. seamless and natural. Especially if we wish to
create virtual environments where there would
A company called Lytro is already working to be differences in the geometry of the ground,
solve this problem and their Immerge cameras this can become a huge obstacle. Movement
are recording depths and distances of objects in and sense of balance are in a way tied together.
an environment. Then rather than stitching all Those both are experienced in our inner ears.
frames together like normally would be done, it Project done by Samsung, called The Entrim 4D, 23
recreates an environment in 3D space. This way is a headphone concept that in addition to work
it is possible to create 3D virtual spaces based like normal headphones they use galvanic ves-
on real locations where all objects are rendered tibular stimulation. It is a process which sends SMELL immersive experience in VR, we must be able
in real depth and position. very low-voltage electric current into user’s to add scents in there. Recreating scents is still
inner ears. The signal allows the user to feel like One of the most important and challenging difficult, but possible. A Valencia-based com-
Touch and haptic feedback are also creating they are moving. The concept works, but with- senses to solve is smelling and recreating pany, Olorama, is producing kits of different
challenges in VR industry. If we would try to out physical movement and only tricking inner scents. Smell is a central sense in our everyday scents and selling them with a retail price 1500
touch something in the virtual environment, ear, they only cause motion sickness. life, and it is a sense which we use to perceive dollars. An environment where we would have
we would immediately be detached from that and remember the world. In our real life, those many different scents is problematic because
who cannot smell anything are proven to be separating scents from each other can be chal-
suffering from poorer quality of life and even lenging. For this reason, it is important that the
depression. Documentary maker Elizabeth Zier- environment and the scents in it are simple and
ah lost her sense of smell and has since been easy to be separated. Once the scent is sent to
describing how she feels disassociated from the the nose of a user, it needs to be rotated back
world around her and she said: “It was as I was and away from the nose, as soon as possible
watching the movie of my own life”. and this way to create a natural circulation of
scents, especially if the environment and scents
The sense of smell is also directly linked to a are changing.
part of our brain that is closely involved with
our feelings. Meaning that scents are closely When the VR environment is not open and
related to our emotional life and memories. We scents are tied to specific locations, it makes it
all have those moments when we smell some- easier to be in control of them. People must also
thing which takes us back to a place and time see what they are smelling in order to not mis-
which we might not even remember any other leading the users. A smell of something incred-
way. ible and seeing it at the same time create a best
22 possible memory and emotional relationship.
So there is no doubt that in order to create an
28 295 T R AVE L I N G AN D T R AN S P O R TAT I O N
5.2 VIRTUAL TRAVELING Mostly these experiences are created with 360°
videos and panoramic images, and in some
With new developing technologies, traveling cases within virtual environments. Perhaps
is also getting new forms. Nowadays, different the best example of virtual traveling is Google
types of VR traveling experiences are letting Street View. It literally lets you travel anywhere
people roam this planet without leaving their and see every neighborhood in the world, pro-
homes and this might be the first step towards vided that the Google Street View–car has been
the future of traveling in general. Why would there first. This can’t offer a view to natural
you pay a lot for something you can experience environments, but Discovery VR is an app that
from home and with a fraction of the money? takes people to Scuba diving and flying through
Of course in its current stage, VR traveling is canyons on a zip line. There are also apps that
nothing like a real experience, but it can also are offering experiences in individual places
offer experiences that you can’t have in tradi- like museums, beaches, and concerts for exam-
tional traveling forms. ple.
24
By the definition of Oxford Dictionaries, travel
is: to make a journey, typically of some length. Perhaps the most common form of traveling is
Like in many other matters, traveling also has tourism. Tourism means traveling to new plac-
many forms. It can be for leisure, work or per- es and being there no longer than a year. Some
haps visiting friends or family. This can be done people travel to warm places to get a tan and
by foot, plane, car or any other moving vehicle. take it easy for two weeks. Some like to travel
Most of the times in traveling, people go some- to cold mountains and hike for a week. First
place unfamiliar to learn, see and experience one is purely for relaxation and the second is to
something new. Through these experiences, experience something totally new. Of course,
people can learn about the environments, these both are experiences, but the second one
themselves and most importantly: broaden is active. Experience by doing and moving and
their perspective about the world. it is commonly related to nature and natural
environments.
25
5.1 FORMS OF TRAVELING
30 315 TRAVELING AND TRANSPORTATION
5.3 TRANSPORTATION AS WE KNOW IT When talking about transportation of people in
ways as we know it, there are two main purpos-
So as traveling has always been associated es to do it. Practical- and recreational transpor-
with a physical movement to the destination, tation. Practical means that the process starts
VR tends to challenge this way of thinking. If from A and ends to B. This includes events like
traveling is about the experiences, learning and daily commuting to work. Recreational is the
seeing, it can be virtual as well. This raises a opposite as it starts from A and ends in A. This
question; do we really need to move physically form includes traveling by a campervan, going
to experience something related to transpor- off-road with a car or seeing nature by using
tation? If the physical transportation in this some other vehicle. In these times when we
sense is not needed, can we also think that need to cherish our environment and nature
transportation is about moving whether it is from pollution, we should question if recre-
physical or not? ational transportation ethically right? Could it
be done in some other way, like VR traveling?
So what is transportation exactly? According to
Oxford Dictionaries, “it is to take or carry, peo- It is all about the experience. In the future na-
ple or good, from one place to another by means ture can be the only place where you can drive
of vehicle, aircraft or ship. This we all know, but vehicles by yourself, but like said, it is not nec-
what is interesting is that this is not the only essarily the right thing to do. Driving in VR can
definition. Transportation can also mean that be limitless and not tied to ground, air or water.
someone feels to be in some other place or time. It can be anything. Recreational transportation
“The book transported her to new worlds”. It can be done virtually with no limitations and
can also be used when someone is overwhelmed with things that you can only dream of in the
with a strong emotion, especially joy. real world.
26 27
32 336 VISION 2040
6.1 EXPERIENCES OVER HARDWARE ways. In Vision 2040, Volkswagen sets the value
to the process of advertising the company. This
By the year 2025, Volkswagen has also acknowl- will not mean using billboards and TV advertis-
edged that selling cars directly to customers ing but selling Volkswagen as a unique experi-
won’t be enough to keep the cash flow high ence. It is important to notion, that selling an
enough. Young people, especially in urban ar- experience is not seen as a way to make a profit,
eas, has become the major target group of each but as an investment for the later process of
industry and they have all their transportation engaging users with the brand.
needs covered with developed public transpor-
tation systems and smart mobility services. All the technological advancements and inter-
Targeting young buyers in their next strategy action trends have become an everyday thing.
“Vision 2040” is one of the biggest topics. Seeing VR, AR and all things we didn’t see in
2015 are a thing for companies to be able to
Understanding the needs of this group of users offer, in one way or another, to meet the expec-
has lead Volkswagen to understand that they tations of the users. In Vision 2040 Volkswagen
value experiences over hardware. Car sharing will acknowledge that cars are seen as past and
services and public transportation are experi- necessary way of moving, but using new tech-
ences indeed, but to get engage with the users nologies it can offer much more.
Volkswagen needs to think new innovative
28
In 2025, the earlier mentioned Strategy 2025 be. However, changing expectations of custom-
ends for Volkswagen and the company has to ers have been raising the bar even higher and
step into define themselves new objectives there won’t be time to relax. Sustainability has
and strategy for years to come. Volkswagen’s remained as top priorities of the car industry
aggressive development of EV’s and new cars and EV’s or other alternative powertrains won’t
has paid off. Also, development of autonomous be enough to promote the company’s good in-
driving systems has brought the company to a tentions.
29
level in which a major car manufacturer has to
34 35C R EA T I V E P R O C E S S
_GOALS _WISHES
_Create a new holistic concept of a new form of _Maintain healthy way of living during the
mobility. Spring.
_Using speculative design approach, create a _Stay positive and inspired, if not, change
dystopian future scenario. Aim for a debate things so that staying motivated through the
among the audience whether the future scenar- whole process is possible.
io is something we want and are going towards.
_Ask for feedback and react to it. However, be
_Go wild with thinking, and provoke the audi- able to make decisions independently and stick
ence. to them.
_Highlight the experience and illustrate the _Develop 3D skills and aim for material which is
user journey with visual storyboards. good enough for presentation purposes.
_Consider the experience also in the context of _With the result I am hoping to show the qual-
traditional cars and how it could help to shape ity of my visual skills, but most importantly to
the future of autonomous vehicles and Volk- excel myself in design thinking and philosophi-
swagen cars. cal side of design.
30
36 37YEA R 2 0 4 0
Earth, 2040. Over 70% of world’s population is Despite the situation, the life in the big cit-
living in cities and urban areas. The population ies is greener than ever. New innovations and
of Tokyo has been steady after reaching record technologies are making life easier in these
15 million in 2025, whereas the metropolitan dense environments. In Tokyo, the public trans-
area of Tokyo has been growing exponentially. portation has developed and expanded from
Several smaller regions around Greater Tokyo the streets, also under and above it. All major
Area have been grown to one gigantic Megacity car manufacturers have started to offer sub-
with a population over 50 million residents. scription-based mobility service models within
big cities and their autonomous car sharing
After the late 2020’s climate disaster, Tokyo systems are the choice of the majority of the
barely managed to stay above the sea level, but people. However, the companies are struggling
since the climate change has slowed down and to deliver services that meet the expectations
future is looking brighter again. However, the of the customers. Many of these people have
situation got so bad, that the bigger ecosystems already started to use other alternative ways of
around the world were about to collapse. In commuting.
2040, most of the diminishing natural environ-
ments worldwide are under conservation and These customers are valuing experiences over
people, except researchers, have no access to everything else and cars are not seen as one
them. The situation is worrying nations around anymore. Experiences have become a way to
the world and even the climate change has been engage with users, buy them in and make them
gotten under control, it won’t be enough for the commit to service providers.
future of our most valuable asset, nature. The
problem was also addressed in the State of the During the years of floods and natural disasters
Union by the president of the United States in in 2020’s, Volkswagen was already aware of
2038: the fact that autonomous cars won’t be a long-
term solution for building a strong customer
“Our future lies in the hands of youth. Their base, and because of the sense of responsibility
future lies in the hands of mother nature. for the climate change, the company started a
Without understanding and co-operation these project in collaboration with the Conservation
two won’t get along. If we lose connection to International. In the project, the goal was to
nature, we don’t know what we are fighting for. combine the future of mobility with education
We need to educate and provide a way for our and conservation of nature. Using latest tech-
children to stay connected to nature, now and nologies and knowledge, these two organiza-
long into the future.” tions are aiming to revolutionize the future of
transportation and mobility services.
31
38 39S TO R Y B O A R D S 1
1. 3.
AI: Alright Ken, I’ll be waiting in-
side the platform, see you there!
Ken, 21, orders transportation using Volkswagen mobility service. The car pulls over to the Volkswagen V-Trek platform. Booking of the
He orders it by using the Commuting section of the Volkswagen App. platform is done by the AI.
On the way home, his on-board AI notices that Ken’s stress levels are The platform recognizes the approaching user. It lowers itself to the
high. The AI suggests something that might relieve that stress. ground level and opens the doors.
2. AI: Ken, I can see your stress
levels are high. Would you like
AI: There is Volkswagen V-Trek
on our way, would you like to
4.
to try something exciting? visit Amazon?
Yeah, why not!
40 41S TO R Y B O A R D S 2
5. 7.
Carapa guianensis
Alrighty, let’s do this!
It is Carapa guianensis. The tree
grows in the Amazon region, Central
America and the Caribbean...
AI: Okay Ken, buckle up
and we are ready to go!
What is that tree over there?
For safety reasons, the doors and roof will only close after the seat- Thanks to cameras and sensors all over the drone, the platform
belts are fastened and the user is safely seated on the platform. offers a great view to the surroundings. The user is able to see
everything from 3D displays that are covering the interior of the
platform. Using eye and motion tracking, the user gets real-time
information of the environment. The AI works as a on-board guide Because of the size of the drone, the user is able to get close to
during the flight. It can be visually present, or set to be only audio. everything and actually feel like being part of the bigger ecosys-
Meanwhile, in Amazon, bio-mimicking drones are buzzing around tem in nature. When landing on a flower, for example, the Scent
their hive. Drones are bio gradable, and they are constantly main- Generator at the back of the platform will provide a real scent of
tained and produced in the hive. The whole system is self-sustaining. the flower for the user.
6. 8. Ken: Hey, lets land on that flower!
It smells really great!
AI: This flower is a part of Orchidaceae
- family. It is spread...
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