Not Your Eyes

Fictional "ad-blocking" Eyeglass

2020

Keywords
Critical Design
Design Fiction
Material Speculation‍
Keywords
Interactive Wearable
Embodied Interaction
Technology Critique
Tools
Processing
Arduino
Rhino
Advisor
Prof. Sang Won-Leigh
Noah Posner
Teammates
Liyin Liu
My Role
Concept Development
Form Design
Material Experiment
Prototyping
Innovations
Design Fiction: Speculates a dystopian future where flashing ads invade our vision, critiquing how emerging technologies manipulate perceptions for profit.
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Symbolic Form: Inspired by deconstructivism, the design represents the chaos and manipulation inherent in technological control.
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Speculative Interaction : Leverages material opacity changes to contrast chaotic ads with curated clarity, inviting bodily engagement and reflection.
Concept
From Sci-Fi To Design Fiction
By 2050, relentless lobbying by advertisers has transformed public spaces into cacophonies of towering billboards, each pulsating with alternating, nerve-wracking ads. In response, retailers introduce “ad-tuned” glasses, offering discounts and coupons to those who wear them. The glasses, “tailored” to each user's habits and interests, replace the chaotic flashing with serene, static ads—offering a brief respite from the visual assault.
At first, the promise of savings draws in consumers. But soon, the appeal shifts: it’s not the coupons that matter, but the fleeting peace the glasses provide. Unwittingly, people surrender their freedom of choice, voluntarily embracing a curated reality—a quiet compromise in a world dictated by ads.
Symbolic Form:
Reimagining TV in Form

Inspired by deconstructivism in architecture, the design reimagines the form of a television, a symbol of mass media, to challenge the rationalized order of consumer capitalism. Techniques like fragmentation, dislocation, and exposure of raw elements convey the chaos of a dystopian future shaped by advertising and technology.

Exploded Form: The shattered TV fragments reflect the wearer’s emotional exhaustion from consumer culture, with irregular shapes intensifying as the chaos grows.
Dislocated Pieces: The deliberate misalignment symbolizes the chaos and disruption caused by an ad-saturated future, contrasting with the perceived order and control promoted by consumer capitalism.
Exposed Frames: Unfinished elements—metal rods, silicon hoses, and unframed “screen” (glass)—evoke a raw, futuristic aesthetic that questions our relationship with technology.
Material Experiment:
Motion, Light, Perception

The the interplay between motion, light, and visual perception was explored through three material experiments.

Using a strobe light, liquid crystal shutter glass, and a spinning fan (DC motor), the experiments demonstrated how chaotic perception of motion can be isolated by layer multiple sensory filters (controlled glass opacity or synchronized light frequency), which metaphorically offer an escape from the overwhelming chaos of flashing ads.

1: Strobe Light and Fan

Using a strobe light to illuminate a spinning fan, this experiment demonstrated how strobe frequency affects perception.

  • The fan blades, spinning rapidly, typically blur into a single indistinct motion.
  • By synchronizing the strobe light's frequency with the fan’s rotation, only one blade becomes visible, creating the illusion of stillness amidst motion.

Metaphor: This represents how controlled exposure (like filtering ads) can transform overwhelming chaos into something comprehensible and focused.

2: shutter glass and Fan

The second experiment used a liquid crystal shutter glass to test how adjustable opacity affects the perception of motion. By adjusting the frequency of the shutter glass, different visual effects emerge:

  • At high frequencies, the fan appears blurred and chaotic, simulating sensory overload.
  • At synchronized or optimized frequencies, the spinning blades became visually distinct, filtering and clarifying the motion.

Metaphor: This experiment shows how tuning visual filters (like the opacity of the glass) gives users control over what they see, helping them escape chaotic overload.

glass frequency = 91
glass frequency = 29

3: shutter glass, light and Fan

In the final experiment, a light source was added alongside the spinning fan and shutter glass, creating a layered effect. However, the presupposition that the interplay between light intensity, fan motion, and glass frequency would lead to more precise control over visibility and focus was not observed. The effect was less dramatic than when using either the strobe light or shutter glass alone, possibly due to poor synchronization or competition between the two filters.

Metaphor: This represents how combining multiple sensory filters (light + glass) provides a more nuanced way to block out "flashing ads" and overwhelming visuals

glass frequency = 37
glass frequency = 55
glass frequency = 91
Reflection

We often complain about the constant presence of ads online but have grown accustomed to them, overlooking the darker side of technology. Services like Gmail and Facebook track our data to target us with ads, shaping our desires for products we don't need.

This project challenges our passive acceptance of this system, urging reflection on how technology is exploited by the powerful. It reveals that our apparent freedom of choice is often manipulated, distorting our sense of self and reinforcing consumer capitalism, turning us into passive consumers blinded to false needs.