Voices of VR #1691: A Call for Human Friction Over AI Slop in “Deep Soup” Participatory Film Based on “Designing Friction” Manifesto
Dec 7, 2025
Luna Maurer and Roel Wouters, artists at the forefront of interactive design, delve into their participatory film, Deep Soup. They advocate for 'human friction' in digital spaces, critiquing tech's push for seamlessness. Their Designing Friction manifesto emphasizes the importance of physical engagement and social interaction. The film utilizes community contributions to explore themes of gravity and embodied experiences, challenging the ease of AI while celebrating true creativity. Maurer and Wouters call for a return to collective experiences that reconnect people in the physical world.
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Design Conditions Over Fixed Outcomes
- Designing conditions matters more than fixed end results in new media work.
- Luna Maurer and Roel Wouters call this 'conditional design' and focused on frameworks that let human behavior surface unexpected outcomes.
Intentionally Reintroduce Friction
- Intentionally add friction to digital experiences to preserve human connection.
- Designers should embed physical touchpoints or social tension rather than always smoothing user flows.
Family Storm Shoot Sparked Play
- Luna dragged her family into a storm to film something floating and they had great fun playing together.
- The exercise demonstrated how participatory prompts get people physically present and joyful.
