The Story of mui Board and Our Family | An Episode of a 3-Year-Old Daughter and a Message Written on the Third Day after Birth

(This is a repost from my Medium article.)

In a recent post, I discussed how digital interfaces can become beautiful daily objects and highlighted mui Board as one of the archetypes for this hypothesis. I believe that for an archetype to be established, it must find a form that seamlessly integrates into people’s daily body movements, daily life scenes, and moments. Once the form has been found, it is the moment when a new technology’s archetype is born and becomes a beautiful daily object.

As one of the first users of mui Board Gen 1 myself, I would like to share a story from our family.

In 2020, our first child was born. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, unable to accompany my wife to the hospital, we began communicating through mui Board amid anxiety and worry.

This is a doodle we received from our daughter on the third day after her birth.

While this may seem like meaningless text, or null lacking in value/information, it holds profound significance for us as parents. I firmly believe that such seemingly inconsequential elements hold immeasurable value in the tapestry of life and family.

Now, our daughter is three years old and can turn on the lights by herself with mui Board’s UI. With its function being tied to spatial positioning and mui Board’s UI being designed with simplicity, it is easy for children to learn how to use it quickly. She finds it intriguing how a simple touch on its wooden surface can alter the room’s brightness and mood. Moreover, unlike my occasional discomfort or guilt when she interacts with smartphones or tablets, her engagement with the mui Board elicits no such negative emotions.

I believe that an object’s appearance, texture, and ability to beckon interaction are pivotal factors in determining whether it transcends into a beautiful everyday item.

mui Board’s second generation is currently available for pre-orders through Kickstarter crowdfunding until February 18, 2024. If you are interested, please visit the following page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/muim2/mui-board-gen-2.