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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/).

          Traditionally, designers have relied on a method referred to as “design thinking” when they are engaging in the creative process. Design thinking is a methodology that is often used by designers in order to solve problems and find solutions in an effective manner. Design thinking incorporates logic, strategy and systemic reasoning into the design process in order to achieve the best possible design solution for the problem at hand. It involves an organized process that helps the designer reach an end result: designers begin by empathizing with the user, defining the problem, ideating solutions, creating a prototype, testing, and finally implementation.  Design thinking methodology is used to create experiences that ultimately will benefit the end user, whether that be creating a streamlined experience or allowing them to complete tasks with minimal fuss.

In collaboration with Isabel Rubenstein, Samantha Silver, Eugene Santiago and Manuel Ramirez .

UX plays a large role in the design and creation of a conversational UI, as well as the way in which users interact with and engage with it. A product using conversational UI has no chance of being successful without taking UX into account during the design process since this will determine the type of experience that the user has. It is vital to understand the context in which the UI will be used and the human on the other end of the conversation.

In collaboration with Steve Foster, Anthony Brown, Mindy Eng, and Shao-Yu Chen.

Part of the reason conversational UI is so successful is that it can be applied to a wide variety of platforms and industries. The applicability of conversational UI means that users of all kinds can find ease and accessibility when using engaging with these devices or carry out their day to day tasks.

In collaboration with Alan Patrick and David Hoberman.

Conversational UI’s give the opportunity to interact with technology on a similar level than we are accustomed to interacting with people on a day to day basis.  As this technology grows, it continues to gain a stronger presence on every digital platform, and its overall usage becomes more mainstream. One of the earliest adaptors, Apple, leading the way with Siri, showed one of the various ways in which conversational UIs can be applied to a technological platform that we interact with daily. Recently, we see that chat boxes and conversational UI have become increasingly welcomed and demanded, leading to increased engagement with devices and success in a variety of ways.

In collaboration with Levi Warvel and Mariano Rodriguez.

A lot goes into a designing a good conversational UI; it needs to have a personality, it needs to adapt, it needs to be able to engage with the user and it needs to be natural for the user to interact with. The challenge for designers is to design this UI to be as intuitive and simple as possible, but without a traditional on-screen UI. When designing a conversational UI experience, it is essential to try and capture the flow of a conversation so that the interaction between the device and the user is seamless. In order to do this, it is essential to understand the basics of human conversation.

In collaboration with: Andrea Bascetta, Priscilla Lim and Hannah Postings.

Life moves at a fast pace and users have increasing to-do lists of tasks they need to complete, frequently juggling multiple things at a time. As a result, it is important that their devices are able to keep up with all that the user needs them to do in today's fast paced world. Hybrid UIs -- which combine the features of graphics and command lines -- can offer a level of efficiency that conventional GUIs, or graphical user interfaces, lack. Where conventional GUIs present users with multiple pieces of information to sift through all at once, hybrid UIs can deliver smaller snippets of information at the users’ command that the user can then take action on to quickly complete their tasks.

We have seen the rise in popularity over conversational UI as being an essential part of the technology we use in our daily lives. From Alexa to Google Home, to Siri and Cortana, conversational UIs are popping up all around us. We know that we can ask them questions and they will respond to us; but what exactly is conversational UI?

Maybe you remember the small, keychain virtual pet called a Tamagotchi, the hugely popular and must-have toy of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Tamagotchis were  essentially small egg-shaped computer with an interface usually consisting of three buttons, and inside this small device lived a little creature that you would care for from it’s birth to its death. Tamagotchis ultimately required a great deal of attention in order to prosper, they must be fed, cared for, entertained, and even taken to the restroom. If you did not care for your Tamagotchi well enough, you were greeted with an untimely death. If you took really good care of your Tamagotchi, you were rewarded with being able to watch them provide offspring or grow to old age. By 2010, there were over 76 million Tamagotchis sold worldwide.