Responses by Mathias Høst Normark, design director, Norgram

Background: The purpose of the site—created as a collaboration between design studio Norgram, IKEA lab SPACE10 and web developer Pieter de Jong—was to engage users in a survey about the future of AI and gain insight from their responses. The site asks questions like: “should our technology be male, female or gender neutral” or “should your AI reflect your values and worldview?”

Highlights: The design is based on the style of the iconic IKEA assembly character and manuals that only use black and white colors. Each area of the site is layered in boxes, subtly referencing computer operating systems where windows are stacked on top of each other. The questionnaire is completed through a conversational interface, making the experience playful and engaging.

Challenges: The most challenging part was creating a survey that wouldn't be perceived as just a normal survey, but rather as a playful experience of democratizing tomorrow’s AI.

Favorite details: We’re mostly proud of how the overall experience feels, especially how the relationships between the visual language, interaction, animation, sound and storytelling come together.

Navigation structure: The navigation structure was based on how users engage with a Mac or a PC—through layered boxes. Each layer represents a part of the site and users can either click on the boxes to learn more or use the more traditional navigation links on the side.

Time constraints: Time is always an important factor—the project was built in a very short amount of time. Having little time forced us to think creatively and simply; although we admit that we could have used a bit more time to polish the details.

Technical features: The core element of the site, the survey, is built using an open-source tool found on Github that turns normal web forms into conversations. Technically, it allowed us to create a more engaging experience for users and reference to the world of AI.