What if there were progress bars everywhere, like on stoplights? I like seeing progress on downloads when in my browser, and real world extensions of online progress bars, like subway station displays that indicate when the next train arrives, are pleasing. We display when the ad will end on Hulu. What if we had displays that showed when the trailers/pre-show-ads would end at the movie theater? A countdown clock to when your flight was scheduled to lift off, displayed on your seatback TV?

At Amazon, we contemplated a world where RFID chips could give you a near real-time status check on where your package was, physically, to the point where you could see it flying towards you in a UPS truck on an online map. When is it too much info, and when is it useful? My guess is that we haven't gone far enough yet. Just having the option there is often enough to soothe the mind even if you don't need to access the status.

design