little signals

How might technology support us in the background of our day-to-day lives? We collaborated with Google Seed Studio to create Little Signals, a series of interaction experiments exploring how we can foster new relationships with technology.

Many everyday objects share information in subtle ways, from the moving hands of a clock to the whistle of a kettle. We explored how technology could inform us while using less of our attention and enable moments of calm – a relatively unexplored topic at the time.

Little Signals is a collection of six unassuming but charming objects that softly share notifications and information through sound, movement, or visual cues. Each object has its own way of communicating: a soft shadow, a friendly tap, a reassuring chime, a slight motion. Designed to engage the senses in a subtle way, these signals calmly convey digital information and keep us in the loop. These gentle nudges respond to changing surroundings and needs, dialling up only when necessary.

Through the lens of ambient computing, Little Signals imagines ways of interacting with technology that foster new behaviours and shift how we live.

Little Signals is part of Experiments with Google, projects that push the boundaries of art, technology, design, and culture to inspire, teach, and delight. We collaborated with Google Seed Studio, a strategic design and innovation team focused on advanced concepts for Google hardware devices.