deutsche telekom design's AI installation questions future of digital at MWC barcelona 2023

deutsche telekom design builds creative communities

Deutsche Telekom questions the human-centricity of technology during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2023. Design gives technology a heart beat, and it is the telecommunications providers’ design team that shapes its services to improve users’ daily lives. Guests at the fairground are invited to explore seamless connectivity through user-case scenarios. Beyond the tech-driven event and into the city as well, a panel talk promotes discussion about design with the local community of creatives. Here, a thought-provoking conceptual installation also questions the future of technology through AI-generated images displayed on moving robotic arms.

‘At Deutsche Telekom design team, we really believe that design has a big influence in the future of customer experiences and innovation. For this reason, we dedicate an event to designers in Barcelona, the day before the Mobile World Congress. We set up this dialogue by inviting local creatives in the world of design and technology to participate in our panel and audience,’ begins Monica Dalla Riva, Senior Vice President of Design & CX at Deutsche Telekom, at the design talk in Barcelona.

deutsche telekom questions the future of digital at MWC barcelona 2023

hyper-personalized t experience at MWC 2023

As the Deutsche Telekom Design & Customer Experience works to guarantee a seamless connectivity to enrich people’s lives, the brand invites customers’ to explore touchpoints of their services at the MWC fairground. The T Experience exhibits how we can always be ideally connected. Through the eyes of the fictional Berger family, visitors journey through scenarios in the family’s lives – whether at home or on the move – as they receive seamless, hyper-personalized experiences.

At MWC, the T Experience exhibits how users can always be ideally connected with Deutsche Telekom

The family wish to stay connected, be entertained, and fulfil daily task as easily as possible. To deliver, the design team is dedicated to creating simplicity across the services of Deutsche Telekom. No longer is one household member responsible for all products; instead everyone in the family has an individual experience where services are personalized to your preferences. The house acts sustainable itself, automatically shutting down systems when not required. This technological magic is made possible using artificial intelligence, shaped by the design team.

‘Designers have to think about different generations, such as gen alpha born from 2010. Each person has a completely different set of values, especially in relation to digital. This is a solid, important part of our research,’ continues Monica. ‘Our design team needs to understand how people use technology in order to benefit their lives with our services. Our products need to make sense, rather than just adding more and polluting the world.’

Through the eyes of the fictional Berger family, visitors journey through personalized scenarios of their day

designers talk tech in barcelona

Deutsche Telekom engages creatives in the city as well as the fairground; Barcelona is a location that the design team knows well. Operative for more than 10 years, Deutsche Telekom Design & Customer Experience consists of a 140-strong team of designers spread across various countries and cities, from research and insights to UX/UI, accessibility, hardware and service designers. This includes the smart hub of Barcelona – see open positions, here – that is distinctively forward-thinking. Their diverse group work together to experiment with new concepts that aid everyday life in response to consumer needs.

‘We not only create product design, hardware and software, but also digital products like UX / UI, research, strategic design and service design. We find it is an important exercise to envision the future. We need to think differently nowadays because the possibilities are endless,’ says the Senior Vice President.

Monica Dalla Riva (far right in white) hosts a panel discussion around human-centered digital design

The creative community of Barcelona discuss how to improve the experience in the digital world. Humanity is built in as standard for Deutsche Telekom, but the human-centricity of technology is questioned during MWC 2023. Monica Dalla Riva hosts a panel discussion around human-centered digital design. She is joined by a group of cross-industry design leaders, who discuss the role of designers in tech companies and the future of technology, amongst many more topics.

‘Design shapes the impact digital technology has on our lives, and the role of design is changing because of this. By creating with technologies, experiences need to be more and more human-centric as, otherwise, it is meaningless,’ adds Monica.

The panel discuss the role of designers in tech companies and the future of technology

AI imagery prompts creatives to imagine future

Created in collaboration with Espadaysantacruz Design Studio, the Concept Design Installation looks into the future of digital experience. AI image generation technology is used to project questions with user-cases scenarios to the audience. The displays move around the space on a series of robotic arms.

Created with Espadaysantacruz, the Concept Design Installation looks into the future of digital experience

The installation voices out questions on the future of digital experiences and other thought-provoking topics, without expecting answers and solutions in return. Instead, the concept manifests hope for humans within this era of information. It provokes an understanding of the role of connectivity and technology moving forward, how it can be used to change the way we live with one another, and how it can make the world a better place.

‘The installation was created by our design team. Using AI technology, we asked ourselves a lot of questions. It is not easy to envision the future. There are new technologies that are already impacting our lives and can be used as tools for designers. This project portrays aesthetics and prompts questions of what this future could look like,’ concludes Monica Dalla Riva.

Prompting questions, the concept manifests hope for humans within this era of information