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CEA Trends for 2009 - from a UI Point of View
Friday, January 16, 2009
CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) recently predicted four top trends for 2009. The trends are based on a consumer research carried out by the American association. In summary, consumers expect more ecologic devices, wireless connectivity, devices with touch displays, and internet access in all devices.
What might these trends mean for user interfaces? Let’s take the easiest first: The spread of touch screen devices is a very relevant phenomenon, and reacting to that is a no brainer for a UI design. Touch displays open up a whole range of new applications and interaction metaphors, which call for new expertise.
Internet access to every device? Now that’s a bit harder nut to crack. On the face of it, having mere internet access does not yet presuppose that the device in question also sports a UI. Devices connected to the net can act as pure data sources. For example a lamp could transmit its energy consumption to some web service without the need of human intervention. At the same time, however, one can expect also more new internet-connected devices, which require a UI. Say a refrigerator connected to a grocery store’s web service. The user could place orders and perform purchases remotely from home. The UI can be on the door of the fridge, or a mobile phone can host a dedicated refrigerator app performing the needed functionalities. So this trend, too, can generate new interesting challenges with regard to UI design and research.
Expansion of wireless connectivity reshapes the devices and how they are used. It entails that people carry around devices, which they previously used in one place only. This has already happened to phones and computers, but more gadgets are to follow. As far as the UIs are concerned, most work probably has to be directed to user contexts. In the past people talked typically indoors. Now they do it while walking, driving, and so on. The user experience has to stay good enough even in these challenging contexts, where users’ attention span is fragmented to multiple phenomena surrounding them.
Finally, there is the green tech. According to CEA’s report, consumers expect their devices to be ecologic. They do not always believe in what the vendors are telling them about the nature-preserving aspects of their products and processes. This does not directly concern UIs per se, but some connections can be found. For example, the above-mentioned dubiousness of consumers calls for openness and transparency from the vendors. The consumer has to have access to the original sources bearing this information. Often this information can be difficult to conceive for the laymen, but a simple and straightforward UI can ease the task.
Santtu
