Mapping your snail mail

Many a time have we heard people question the immediacy and lack of mystery that is a part of the whole email phenomenon.  Working with the reality that email is here to stay, students Rahul Mahtani and Yofred Moik from Syracuse University have proposed a nifty concept that connects mail to its terrestrial heritage.   Integrating into Gmail, they forsee a time when users can select to send an email overland, all wrapped up in a Google Maps envelope that tracks the path the letter has taken.

This is an idea that could really be fun to explore further.   What would the physical incarnation of forwarded mail be like?   How about junk and spam, or even saving a draft?   Do you have to weigh your attachments…

Head over to Yanko Design to see how the user experience has been visualised so far.