Blog

Although augmented and virtual reality systems (which I will refer to globally as extended reality, or XR) have not yet reached the level of everyday ubiquity expected by some industry insiders, these technologies are being increasingly utilized in domains traditionally considered to be risky, such as aviation and medicine.

     Many in the UX industry are familiar with the idea of the three-click rule, a golden UX best practice for design. The three click rule is the idea if that after three clicks a user cannot find what they are looking for, they are likely to get frustrated and abandon the task they set out to do. This idea quickly gained popularity a became a well known best practice for designing an engaging and effective user experience and is something that can still be seen in design that happens today. But, is the three click rule something that we should still be holding onto?

  Biometrical Authorization, while something that sounds like it would be straight out of a sci-fi film, is basically a security process that relies on certain key biological features in order for an individual to verify themselves. No more complicated login processes; with biometrical authorization, all that is needed is the specific physiological or behavioral characteristic required such as facial recognition, fingerprint identification, or voice recognition. Nor is this concept necessarily a new one; a wide variety of industries use biometrical authorization as a means to bypass traditional username and password verifications or logins. We already see an implementation of biometrical authorization in a wide variety of devices, such as fingerprint login for mobile phone and devices. So, why are we talking about it?

“Creativity Is allowing yourself to make mistakes, design is knowing which ones to keep”
– Scott Adams

At its core, linear UX focuses on allowing a user to complete a task or a goal in a smooth, simplified process. As a result, this method ends up taking away a lot of unnecessary fillers or complications, thus making the user experience super streamlined and seamless. Overall, linear UX focuses on creating a goal-oriented user experience.

AI and ZeroUI are on the rise and are increasingly being used in all different kinds of industries. Part of this move is that a large part of making devices more accessible to all kinds of users is incorporating a way for them to interact with their devices in a way that does not rely on a screen (ZeroUI). It is clear that in 2018 there will be more of a focus on creating interfaceless designs in an effort to create simple, innovative and engaging user experiences.  However, looking towards the future, interfaceless designs will become more and more integrated into our daily lives. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 30% of all web browsing will be done through screenless designs and through interactions such as voice commands, gestures and eye tracking (Gartner https://www.gartner.com/).

"Where machine learning is reactive, artificial learning is proactive." - Jeff Catlin

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are two words that are being used a lot right now in the technological world, and will probably only continued to be used more and more. Often time these words are used interchangeably, or used together, which causes their distinct meanings to become fuzzy and unclear. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, while can be used together, are ultimately two distinct concepts. This article explores the difference between the two terms and why this difference is important to remember.

As Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve, it is important we look at the role of UX in AI. How can we anticipate the types of user challenges that may occur, and how can we try to mitigate those?

Recently, technological developments have been focusing on implementing features such as AI, conversational UI and other forms that help make technology more accessible and user friendly to a wide range of audiences. When people think of accessibility, the notion of disability comes to mind. While there are users that are disabled, accessibility in UX refers to making sure that a design can be accessible to any user at any time and anywhere.

    A ‘Voice First’ UI allows users to navigate through the UI using their own voice as the primary input method. It ushers in a new era of technology - moving away from using only the traditional screen, and blends in the use of voice recognition.