Blog

       Within the last few years, technology has grown at an exponential rate with Augmented Reality being introduced in multiple industries, such as education and training. Augmented Reality (AR) is defined as the enhancement of the real environment by computer-generated content, allows its users to see the real world together with an additional virtual world added in real-time to the same field of view. A.R. technology has been introduced into the tourism industry to add more interactive elements and improve the traveler's overall experience.  

     In this frenzy of Virtual Reality (VR) adoption, it’s hard not to gravitate towards the hubbub and explore the possibilities for yourself. Let’s say, after some digging and trying out some clever immersive experiences at conferences and meetups, you finally give in and want to explore the possibility of using VR to train your employees or team members. But, where do you start? What do you need to get started? Can you actually use VR for your use case? How do you build it? Some of these questions can be overwhelming and might lead you down a rabbit hole on the internet. So, let's try to break it down here.

       While VR, AR and 360 experiences may be well-known industry terms for you at this point, you might be wondering how these experiences are any different than interactive storytelling content. Interactive storytelling is a form of media that gives the user the ability to be the “director” of their own experience from start to end. While popular among the gaming community, interactive storytelling is certainly on the rise everywhere. For example, on the heels of Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch, Netflix is double down its on interactive storytelling content, producing a variety of series according to an article by techcrunch. 

      Many of the components for Material UI are easy to customize. For components such as Badges and Circular Progress, you can add color options by adding an additional variant to the theme. For instance, when calling a badge using a primary color, you would use <Badge color=”primary” />. In order to use an info color, you could use <Badge color=”info” />, and add under MuiBadge : { colorInfo: {…}} to the theme. You can interchange “info” with any color name you choose.

       
The two-wheel culture is growing in popularity every day; we see more and more people opt to ride to work, to class, or just ride for fun. Some claim their decision is cost driven and that it's simply more economical to drive a motorcycle than a car, others select a traditional bicycle work commute because it's healthier. Technology for this culture is attempting to keep pace. New AR equipped motorcycle helmets are being produced with a rearview camera, navigation, music, phone call, SOS alerts, among other features. This is awesome, but, does that make it safer for the vehicle operator?

       More and more the world of banking and investing is moving into the online and technological world. Terms like “cryptocurrency” and “bitcoin” have steadily been gaining popularity as user’s are finding ways to handle their finances in a way that matches today’s fast-paced, digital world.  In relation to online financial going ons, another term that is gaining a lot of recent attention is “blockchain”. Blockchain is not a new term, but it is generating increasing buzz since they will have a massive impact on the future of online banking, investing, digital identity, and more. 

     One of the big buzzwords circling UX and tech circles lately is “robotics process automation” or RPA for short. Robotic process automation is a big fancy way of talking about the process of using “software robots” or other specialized computer programs as a way to have repeatable business processes become automated, standardized, and ultimately, something that no longer has to take up actual human bandwidth. If you are reading this and thinking to yourself that this sounds like the beginning stages of allowing the robots to take over, have no fear. This is where user experience research and design comes in to save the day.

       
            There have been breathless articles written about how virtual or augmented reality is going to change everything for decades. Virtual Reality (VR) hardware (often glasses or goggles) allow the user to interact with a computer-generated immersive environment, where Augmented Reality (AR) devices overlay information onto the world without the processing power requirements of virtual reality. Costs are down, bandwidth is up, but it’s 2019, and with few exceptions, what Adam Draper of Boost VC calls “digital reality” remains a technology in search of a killer app.

     Biometric authentication, unlike traditional passwords or security questions, uses the unique biological characteristics of the individual in order to verify an individual’s identity. Voice recognition (also called speaker recognition or voice authentication) analyzes a person’s voice to verify their identity. Soft-tissue cavities, the shape, and movement of the mouth and jaw, as well as airways, have the potential to influence individual voice patterns to create voiceprint that is unique and identifiable to everyone.

    Interaction with a product through a digital interface has become the standard across the industry, whether through a mobile app, desktop software, website, etc. it is the go-to for companies when creating a product to solve a problem. This is the reality we live in, but often users are not looking to add another interface or step to their routine. Users are instead looking to simplify a process. Zero UI looks beyond screens as the go-to solution and over to what would be a more natural and passive solution within a process to solve a problem. Not every process or product should be replaced by Zero UI.