Chapter 2: The Future of Mobile By Stephanie Rieger (@stephanierieger) in the recently released “The Mobile Book”, by Smashing Magazine. Reflection by Kyle Keeling
The Future of Mobile is a slightly misleading title for this chapter in the sense that it does not focus solely on what new features and functionality the next mobile device will contain. Instead, this chapter focuses on the future of connectivity and the mobility that is associated with connectivity. Most of us web professionals these days are focusing on mobile, tablet and desktop user interfaces, but the line between those experiences and home security systems, in-car displays, kitchen appliances and gaming consoles are becoming blurred. Even if the end user doesn’t realize it yet, a more flexible and inter-operable product will always be more useful to consumers.
In order for new technologies to reach a mainstream market they need to be perceived as a valuable addition to the user’s life. Web professionals and designers are partially responsible for moving the technology wave forward. We are tasked with creating user experiences that take these new technologies, makes them approachable and empowers the consumer through effective UI. This is a monumentally challenge, but one that we should all be eager to embrace. We are getting very close to a Back to the Future – Part II interactive TV living room experience and designers will be the ones that make this experience seamless and enjoyable. I can almost feel the hover board under my feet.
This inevitable evolution creates a fantastic challenge and forces designers to truly think about the entire interactive landscape. For example, how should we consider interfaces that utilize touch, gesture and voice interaction? How will these design considerations differ from traditional, mouse and keyboard events? While it is impossible to predict the future, we can make some educated guess and as always, roll with the punches.
Here are some predictions that Stephanie Rieger makes that we can all agree upon:
- Devices will become smaller, cheaper and offer more flexible displays
- There will be new ways to spontaneously exchange data between devices (hence the importance of connectivity)
- There will be new methods of communication between software and host devices (again connectivity)
Technologies like flexible displays (e-paper, AMOLED), GlowCaps, HUD (heads up display – Google’s “Project Glass”), and NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled devices are strong candidates for the future mobile landscape. It is our job to support these technologies and explore the possibilities so that they can eventually be embraced by the mainstream. To paraphrase Stephanie Rieger, as designers we need to always be thinking of ways to build flexibility into each and every product and always be prepared for change. It’s not just a matter of fixating on a shiny new technology, it is thinking about the mobile landscape as a whole, thinking about how these devices and objects will interact with one another, and thinking about how they will meaningfully contribute to an individual’s way of life.
More Resources
- Future Technology Examples – Nokia Flexible Smartphone; Paper Phone Prototype; AMOLED Prototype; Plastic Logic’s color e-paper; Project Glass; NFC