The Challenge
The primary human function of utility is to provide some material good or service. It is distinct from, but not mutually exclusive to entertainment and information as a utility could serve both to gratify and inform (respectively). But, it is distinguished as a ‘commodity’ that
1. takes the physical form of material good or service
2. is in limited supply
3. has a perceived market value
4. and can be traded.
The Ask
- Take something that provides utility to you that exists in some material/tangible form
- Find a new and imaginative way to virtualize the good or service
- So that others can experience it like you have, but better
BIZU is a picture frame that’s connected to the Internet, it allows you to instantly send a kiss to a loved one. When my girlfriend and I were in a long distance relationship (for one and half years!), we communicated anyway that we could. We talked on the phone, sent presents and cards, fought through text and would leave our webcams on while sleeping so we knew the other was there if we needed them. Creating BIZU I wanted to touch upon this remote intimacy that we experienced while apart. BIZU translates a loving gesture, a blown kiss, into a message. This message is simply a talk bubble that lights up on the receiving end representing the digital kiss that has been sent. In the talk bubble is a red heart, but it can contain any image.
