Spaces for screens: Designing in the digital age

When content decides what becomes “good design.”

In almost every project, we now have a new architectural client who we need to impress: the
algorithm. Spaces are no longer judged by only the users, critics or architects. They are judged
by people online based on the “instagrammablility” of the space and if it matches the
“pinteresty” aesthetics. Visual appeal matters more than anything because that is what gains
attention and goes viral. People visit from all around just to get a photograph on that backdrop.
And that’s the parameter which decides if the design is good. This has led to a new category of
architecture that prioritizes visual aesthetics over spatial experience.

The First Impression

Historically, people visited places first and then took photographs to document them. Their first
impression of the space was the experience itself. It was something new and unique that they
never had before. Today, millions of people see a place online first, analyze, save and only then
visit. Their first impression comes from a curated social media feed: good angles, enhanced
lighting and perfectly edited photographs. Many people might not even visit at all. The
perceived image of the building online becomes more influential than the physical presence.
So, many express feeling disappointed after visiting a place they had seen so much about
online, saying it did not live up to their expectation.