Wyatt Olson
Interaction Design
Abstract
Wyatt Olson is interested in how design, as a creative practice, can be used to question the intangible systems that monitor and guide us. Throughout his thesis project, Between Lines, he investigated our relationships with location-based recommendation systems, everyday surveillance, and the downward trajectory of personal agency due to capitalist incentives. Creating preludes to dystopias in the form of four critical design-fiction films, he applied a grounded, ethnographic approach to his research. The films were used in co-speculation sessions with professionals who work on or adjacent to recommendation systems to spark discussion about the future. Through his films, website, and bespoke publication, he encapsulates not only insights but also a space for reflection about the world we choose to design for ourselves.
The backside of a person with long hair wearing a coat and holding flowers. They are staring off into a large body of water.
Wyatt Olson, December 26th, 2024. Video, Image courtesy of the artist.
A silhouette of a figure walking down a dark and dimly lit alleyway.
Wyatt Olson, Avoidable Inconvencies, 2024. Video,  Image courtesy of the artist.
A person installing their phone onto their car's dashboard.
Wyatt Olson, Evidence of Insurability, 2024. Video,  Image courtesy of the artist.
A man wearing all black is running, with a view of a skyline in the background.
Wyatt Olson, Routine Repetitions, 2024. Video,  Image courtesy of the artist.
4 screen devices are laid out in a line horizontally on a white wall. They are connected by many black cords.
Wyatt Olson, Between Lines, 2024. Design installation. Photo: Rosaline Dou.
Committee
James Pierce, Chair
Dominic Muren
Education
MFA, Interaction Design, University of Washington, 2024

BA, Interactive Media Design, University of Washington Bothell, 2022
Contact
Awards + Accomplishments

2024, Kenneth L. Striker Design Award for Performance in, and commitment to the Master of Design Program, University of Washington
2023, Kenneth L. Striker Design Award for Excellent and Good Citizenship in Design, University of Washington
2023, Gonzales Graduate Student Scholarship for Excellence in Design, University of Washington
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