Surface | Extraordinary Solutions

How can Surface improve creativity?

Turning everyday problems into solutions with Surface

To help unleash the nation’s creativity, Microsoft Surface partnered with D&AD and UK inventor Dominic Wilcox to turn ideas into reality,
by creating extraordinary solutions for Britain’s everyday problems through the power of Surface.

Meet the creatives using Surface

Dominic Wilcox and four D&AD Creatives explain how Surface helps to fuel their creativity. Meet the Yarza Twins, Hattie Newman, Gaurab Thakali and Tom Harnett O’Meara as they create an extraordinary solution to an everyday problem

View their creative work

DOMINIC WILCOX HATTIE NEWMAN GAURAB THAKALI TOM HARNETT O’MEARA YARZA TWINS

Dominic Wilcox

Have you ever paid to watch your favourite artist at a gig only to discover that you can’t see over the crowd? Look no further, the periscope glasses will enable perfect vision across the venue with nothing blocking the eyeline. Additionally, a problem faced by many people on busy UK streets, the awkward dance of trying to navigate past someone walking towards you. The Directing Jacket has been developed to ensure no more colliding bodies and clear path to your destination.

Hattie Newman

Human beings are becoming increasingly glued to their smartphones, tablets, consoles and more and our gadgets are arguably a fundamental part of our day to day life. Hattie created a ‘dog house’ for phones or tablets, a fun, physical place you can store and charge your phone or tablet at home or work, encouraging you to commit to a digital detox. While your phone or tablet safely sits inside and out of sight, the inner wall is lined with an advanced signal-blocking material which acts as a WiFi and 4G barrier, shielding you from notifications and giving you some much needed down time.

Gaurab Thakali

Even during a task as simple as reading, the average mind will wander. For those with busy, loaded schedules, there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to focus, resulting in tasks taking longer or not being finished at all. Gaurab Thakali has created the Mindfulness Pod. This ultimate concentration pod blocks out surrounding distractions and allows you to focus solely on the task in front of you. The portable travel pod will sit on your desk, creating a privacy hood and will allow you to work in private anywhere, at any time. The pod also incorporates mindful thinking through lighting with colours that are proven to improve concentration and productivity.

Tom Harnett O'Meara

You love having plants in your house but despite your best efforts you’re not very good at watering them regularly. It might be that you’re forgetful, you struggle with mobility or you’re just really busy, but all of these things mean that more often than not your plants aren’t getting the love they deserve. The walking plant pot can solve your problems. The automation of the walking legs means it can run or walk to find water, so you don’t have to.

Yarza Twins

We’re often being reminded by the media, friends and family, how important it is to protect our skin from the sun and UV rays, but it can be difficult to prevent your skin from burning despite applying. The Yarza Twin’s solution is BLUE, a photo sensitive sunscreen which changes to a vibrant blue colour on your skin when you’re reaching your burning point. When the cream on your skin changes colour, this indicates that you need to reapply another layer of cream or get out of the sun.

The Directing Jacket which stops those awkward almost bumping into each other moments when no one knows which way to go
Periscope ‘1 foot taller’ Glasses to help you see what’s happening when you’re not tall enough to see over the crowds
The Dog House: Commit to putting your phone inside for the ultimate digital detox Mindfulness
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Mindfulness Pod: To help aid concentration and avoid distraction whilst you’re hard at work
The Walking Plant Pot: This intelligent plant pot tells you when its ready to be watered
BLUE: The colour changing cream which alerts you when you’ve reached your limit in the sun

The Extraordinary Solutions for Everyday Problems Exhibition

Microsoft Surface showcased a series of creative inventions designed to make you think “why didn’t I think of that?” See the inspiration behind these ideas, from sketches, work in progress images and animations, as well as the final solutions.

Exhibition Gallery

What Britain thinks of creativity

As part of the Extraordinary Solutions project Microsoft commissioned research to delve into the nation’s attitudes to their own creativity with some fascinating results.

More than half of us in the UK consider ourselves to be creative and over a third (35%) of the 2,000 people surveyed by Microsoft believe that their best ideas come to them when going for a walk

Listening to music (18%), in the shower (17%), and driving (15%) were also cited amongst the most popular moments in the day when we come up with the best ideas. However, we seem to be at our most creative whilst snoozing in bed, with almost 40% of us finding that ideas pop into our head whilst we’re relaxing in our own beds.