Watch the Artists
Artists have always been the first to any scene. From moving into warehouse spaces, securing the “blackest black” paint, or setting up our fashion trends years in advance, artists sense it before everyone else and get there first. Now that NFTs are common knowledge, it is apparent that artists were here at the beginning, again.
Blockchain to NFT in 30 Years
Blockchain theory and technology have been around for 30 years, but it has taken about 20 years for that technology to make it into the mainstream. In 2008 when the modern blockchain and associated technologies came to life, only 6 short months later an artist saw how this new tech could be used as a way of creating NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
Then the gentrification of the blockchain and NFTs began:
The NBA created NBA Top Shot and has been raking in money hand-over-fist
Cryptopunks that were once given away to anyone who would pay the gas fee is now a seven-figure floor if you want to collect
And those images that we used to send via email? Those are selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars
But now we are all talking about NFTs, looking at blockchain with a fresh eye and artists have made that happen. Artists saw an opportunity to create something that embraces technology and our desire for collecting/creating. And now digital NFTs are colliding with the physical art world.
What does this mean for experience designers?
Pay attention, not necessarily to what is mainstream but rather what's starting to gain interest. If you're a digital marketer, Google Trends can be an excellent resource for gauging how much appeal something has been able to build up in recent years.
Experiences are never only digital
A solely digital experience does not, cannot exist. You can ignore everything else, but it will be to the detriment of your experience. Embrace the physical, the emotional, the psychological of your experience and you will discover new opportunities to improve and optimize your product or service. You will find ways to make something that matters, that people get.
Don’t sell your product short.
