We’re addicted. Our smartphones are our only way to see the world. We spend a lot of time scrolling through rectangular backlit screens with our heads down and twitching. Because we are busy creating 140 characters for someone else on Twitter, the people across our table couldn’t be farther away than us.
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Users use screens to do everything, from checking the weather forecast to choosing what they’d like for dinner. This is good news for us and our children’s eyes. Design is changing the way we interact with our devices.
Soon, our devices will become more familiar to us and allow us to be freer from screen addiction. We are starting to get rid of the screens we use every day with the help of chatbots and voice- and gesture-based interactions with our devices.
Zero UI is a new concept. It’s a branch of UI Design. This concept makes the transition from the Graphical User Interfaces we are used to and transforms the way we interact with technology.
Let’s look at the implications of Zero UI and how it affects UI design shared by the leading web design and development company Singapore.
The current state of UI design
We must examine how technology communicates with us to understand why this is necessary. Our devices are often accessed via a visual User Interface (GUI). GUI is a type of interface that allows users to interact with their devices using visual icons.
This is in contrast to text-based interfaces, commands, or text navigation. We see this when we use our smartphones and computers for any task. GUIs are screens that require input via keyboard and mouse, swipes and taps or using a touchscreen to transmit information.
Interfaces have come a long way since their humble beginnings. However, they still struggle to provide the best user experience. To complete our daily tasks, we use a variety of apps and navigate through many screens.
It’s good to know that designers and developers are actively working to solve this problem. This is Zero UI, which represents the next step in computer-human interaction.
An introduction to Zero UI
“We believe that the next big move in the near future will be to eliminate the idea of the device. — Sundar Pichai, Google C.E.O
Andy Goodman was the first to use the term Zero UI. It is defined as a “Zero User Interface,” which refers to an environment in which our thoughts, voices, and eyes can trigger systems to respond to our actions.
The experts at web design company in Singapore says, instead of relying on typing or clicking, users can now use gestures, voices, and gestures to enter information. The focus of interaction will shift away from phones and computers to physical devices that we can interact with.
Goals for Zero User Interface
- To allow users to live their lives, you must eliminate as much information as possible from their point of view
- You can reduce the time you spend on computers while still getting the same results
- Machines can interpret natural language gestures, actions, and words of users.
- Innovative ways to interact with devices
Zero UI is not a new concept. It’s possible you have already experienced it. These devices rely on voice or gesture-based interfaces to communicate with each other. Let’s learn about the interfaces shared by experts offering web design services in Singapore.
1. Gestural Interfaces
Gesture-based interfaces can be based on sensors, cameras, or a combination of both. They use sensors to detect specific movements and determine if they correspond to a particular movement.
Examples:
- Xbox Kinect
- Magic Leap
- Project Soli
2. Voice-Based Interfaces
“Xbox on. Alexa, What’s your temperature? Ok, Google”. These are some phrases that you may have used or heard in the past. Voice-based interfaces allow users to speak directly to the device, and it will respond (hopefully) by answering the question.
Examples:
3. Messaging Interfaces
Every request can be sent to chatbots, which are now available via email. You basically text the chatbot, and it will respond to your request as if it were a real person.
When you order pizza with the rest of the ingredients, you can send a send message. It’s already linked directly to your credit/debit cards, so that’s it. There is nothing else you need to do.
Examples:
These new communication methods are driving the Zero UI movement. However, screens are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
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Don’t worry; your screens will not disappear.
We won’t be able to get rid of this screen. We’ll be surrounded by screens. Everything will be on a screen by Andy Goodman.
It is unlikely that we will see a Zero UI world. We’ll likely see more screens around the globe that allow us to do our jobs faster. We can improve interaction by using gestures and voice commands to augment screens.
This will allow us to be more present, doing what we want at the moment. Devices will be able to learn our needs by using contextual data and data zero UI.
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Data is the key to designing a zero-UX
Goodman states that many interfaces will become more automated, predictive, and prescient as we move away from screens. The data will be presented in context to the user. Google Now is an example of contextual design.
It can provide estimates of travel time between home and work, track details about their Amazon purchases, and update users on sites they frequent. The way a device responds to queries is also affected by contextual data.
Google can ask you for context data, such as the name of the first man to orbit and land on the Moon. You can then ask Google “how tall was the guy?” Google will remember the context and give you the answer.
Machines of the future will likely learn to filter out all noise and only provide us with the relevant data at the moment and place.
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Future of UI design
Future interfaces will integrate into the real world. Users will find it easier to communicate with their devices by separating the user experience and screen design. It will soon become a routine for us to use our devices as personal assistants.
It could be as simple as asking Google to reserve a table at your favorite restaurant for 7:00 pm. While screens will always be there, Zero UI will allow devices to understand us more intimately and personally by using contextual data. See Andy Goodman’s presentation or listen to this podcast for a deeper analysis of Zero UI.
Components of Zero UI
Companies in tech around the world are using a range of technologies to create Zero UI-based devices. Nearly all of these technologies can be attributed to IoT devices, such as smart home appliances, smart cars, and smart devices at the office.
1. Haptic Feedback
Haptic feedback is motion- or vibration-based feedback. You feel purely haptic feedback when you type a message on your smartphone. This technology is used by most smart watches, fitness devices, and other smart watches to notify their users.
2. Personalization
Personalization can also be used to reduce or eliminate the need for a touch screen in some applications. Domino’s Zero-Click Ordering App relies on the customer’s personal profile to place an order.
The app will automatically place your order if you have a Domino’s Pizza Profile or an Easy Order. This app can also be opened using your voice assistant, such as Apple’s Siri.
3. Voice Recognition
Siri’s voice search and command feature is a Zero UI component. Cortana and Amazon Echo are just a few examples. This technology allows devices to recognize, distinguish, and authenticate the voice. It has been used in biometric security systems.
4. Glanceability
- Face recognition is becoming a popular Zero UI technology.
- This technology is used to unlock computers and laptops.
- Apple’s Face ID feature is a new way to use it.
- This feature allows you to unlock your iPhone in a matter of seconds.
- You don’t have to keep your phone close to your face.
- It can identify your face using visible and infrared scans.
5. Gestures
- A variety of smart devices can use gesture-based interfacing.
- Moto Action is a gesture-based interface that Motorola smartphones use to perform tasks like turning on the flashlight or camera without having to unlock the phone.
- Microsoft Kinect is a more advanced example.
- It can be added to any Xbox 360 device.
- It has an RGB-color VGA camera and a depth sensor.
6. Messaging Interfaces
- Zero UI also includes messaging interfaces like Google Assistant.
- You can use Google Assistant to place orders for food if you have a credit or e-wallet already added to your Google Account.
- You can also use the Assistant to perform other tasks, such as calling, texting, and sending emails.
What will Zero Ul do to Web Design?
- Zero UI might seem like the end for visual interfaces, but it’s not likely.
- The visual abilities of humans are a part of our DNA.
- Visual information can be retained better and for longer periods of time.
- Zero UI will not eliminate screens.
- It will, however, forever change the web design concept.
- Zero UI design will be built on contactless management and predictive thought.
- Two-dimensional web design is based mainly on linear sequences.
- Voice search can be done using voice commands like “Call my dad,” “Call Uber,” or even “Tell me about yesterday’s Knicks win.”
- But if you combine them all, “Call my dad and then an Uber, then tell me about the Knicks’ game score last night,” will likely render your voice search useless.
- Web design will need to adapt to the complex nature of human communication.
Understanding Data, AI, and Design
- Zero UI brings search and purchase history (or behavioral data), both critical elements of the digital market, closer together.
- Designers will therefore need to create systems that can be analyzed and used to create the content you require.
- As a designer, this means that you will need to deeply understand data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and other aspects.
- The UI will be designed for interaction with the device. It will not only need to be the screen.
- Let’s take, for example, a thermostat that senses gestures.
- There are many ways that a user can tell the thermostat to raise the temperature.
- This is where data analytics and AI come in.
- It is easier to design Zero UI devices when you better understand your customers’ psychology and behavior patterns.
What zero UI will mean for businesses
As per the best digital marketing company in Singapore, your business’ success will depend on offering the right recommendations in a zero UI world.
It is not possible to wait for customers to start searching. You need to be proactive in your business.
1. Data
Most likely, you already have a lot of data about your business. This information will be needed for Zero UI development. It will need multiple technologies, including machine learning, AI, and data analytics, to make the extended data structure work.
It will be collected and managed mainly by tech giants like Amazon and Google. To get this information, small and medium-sized businesses will need to sign up with these brands or form strategic alliances.
2. Context
It is important to fully understand what users are trying to find. People start their search by searching for a single term. But they often want more information.
If a user orders Chinese takeout frequently, his search for “restaurants near my” should include Chinese restaurants. This infers context automatically. Your system should initiate the next steps for guiding people to your brand whenever they use a phrase that is related to your product.
3. Design
As mentioned previously, your business must move beyond the linear web design process.
Prospects can use any channel in the extended data structure to reach your brand. Your system should be able to handle most of the incoming traffic.
A query for “nearest Pizza Shop” could be made from a smart car, smartphone, or smart home.
Can your web design handle it?
4. Content
Content creation will be more dynamic than ever. In order to create content, you will need to include the changes in consumer data. Local SEO is crucial to Zero UI because most people will search for services and places in a particular area.
You could, for example, promote location-based offers to increase foot traffic to your store. Natural language searches will take precedence in your SEO, as voice search is now more important than text.
Conclusion:
Zero UI is an idea that aims to make every marketplace, community, and online service more engaging. This opens up new opportunities for marketers and designers. You might also like our previous blog