Two one hundredths of a second. That's the different between winning and losing in Olympic sports. In our daily lives such a duration is meaningless. It's faster than the blink of an eye. The sponsor for Olympic timing equipment, Omega, takes a prominent role in determining the outcome of these competitions. The milliseconds matter. When the Olympics first began in ancient Greece or even the modern day manifestation a century ago, such precise measurement was impossible and unthinkable. Today it is accepted as the norm for determining winner and loser, hearbreak and celebration.

What's interesting here is the role of technology. Traditionally, we imagine technology as something we (humans) invent and evolve. We push technology forward. We demand more from technology and push its limits. But, as is evident from speed based Olympic sports, technology also pushes us. If it weren't for the evolution of timing technologies there wouldn't have been a reason for racers to push for that extra millisecond. This is an obvious observation in that technology makes us more efficient but there's something deeper happening here.

Let's look at another non-time related sport. Hockey. My sport. Canada's sport. The evolution of technology over the last decade has been tremendous. From composite carbon based sticks, to massive lightweight goalie pads, and extra protective super fast skates the technology has pushed the game to a new, better, faster, more precise level. The better goalie equipment demands players have better, harder, more accurate shots. The better sticks demand goalies be better trained and prepared and acrobatic. Again, the technology makes excellence attainable but it also pushes the players to excel, to find new levels of competition and athleticism that were thought impossible decades ago.

For our work at MDM, work which is technology centric, we have a deep relationship with this cycle of advancement of technology and expectation of product. As 3D engines go open source and game engines become easier to use the technical accomplishments are less significant and the human accomplishments are the focus. Pong was an awesome video game because of how it used technology. Portal is an awesome video game because it is so well designed. Writing a novel with quill and ink-well was a tremendous technical feat. Writing a terrific novel with a laptop is a tremendous human accomplishment.

As technology becomes ubiquitous in the first world and more pervasive in the rest of the world, it is the design of experiences that will overshadow the technical accomplishments. Sport, sex, and gambling have always been the early indicators of how society uses technology; we need to pay attention to those speed skaters. As the timers become more precise so do they. They invent better skates, better suites, and train harder. Hockey players used to be known for smoking and drinking back in the days of the Maple Leaf Garden and Le Forum de Montreal. With the advancement of the technology the players are now delicately calibrated athletes.

We too at the MDM, as creators with technology, must always maintain an emphasis on the human side of the equation, what are we designing? And let the technology push us to make things more emotional, simpler, and elegant in experience and design. The Olympics aren't actually about the milliseconds they are about the stories of accomplishment and stuggle, devotion and excellence, and the drama of sport. The milliseconds matter but only if they push us to be better.