It’s natural to believe things will change in the future, as technology evolved a lot and will evolve even further. Already researchers are working on new ways to control a computer. One of the latest achievements is the gestural interface where you move your hand in front of the display that then reads your movements and translates them in commands that move for example objects on screen.

The practical applications are unlimited and the ease of use is also a big point here. Researchers say that gestural interfaces could be implemented on all kinds of devices, including cellphones. Imagine that your cellphone could vibrate, not just ring when it ‘sees’ you’re not paying attention. It could also change your theme according to your modd and so on. You could shut down the computer with only one gesture, you could draw letters in the air and so on.

Of course those types of user inputs could work in conjunctions as for example typing is faster on a keyboard or speech can be used when writing long texts, the you’ll switch back when you’re done. Things we’ve seen in movies like Minority Report could mean reality, not science fiction in a few years, but the ultimate step, if you ask me, is the direct interface with the human brain.

The human brain is the ultimate computer. It’s the one that controls our body, so it seems natural to me to link if to our computers. Cyborgs could be just around the corner but not like the ones you see in movies, of course. The speed of thought is greater than any other gesture you might do to give a command. Do you agree or think this is too sci-fi?

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Microsoft Surface Software User Interface

Look at WEB 2.0, which is an overly simplified way of interacting with web services, from usability point of view, not function. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but what happens when you really can’t afford to compromise function over usability. Well, you get Photoshop, AutoCAD and other great software with miserable user interfaces. No one managed to make e complex and simple software interface.

Do thing have to get too simple to make them accessible? Looking at the iPhone (a nice phone that thinks it’s a smart phone. Sorry Apple fan boys but that’s what I believe) I’m inclined to say yes.

My take on the future?

Well, there will be a point in future when usability will be recognized as a science, as it has to do with social behavior, brain stimulation and so on.

In the way too distant future, when everyone on Earth will be used to everyday technology I’m hoping people will get smarter and able to use more advanced input and control methods, thus more complicated.

But for now we have to embrace the reality that things will dumb down even more to satisfy the needs of the majority. And that’s a fact, not a supposition.

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