The world of interaction design has no limits today. There are so many different devices, all different shapes and sizes and we have to design to fit the screen width and function on all of them. As the proliferating device screens are shrinking, the technology inside them is enhancing and we have to design content with that in mind. From the change in type size and imagery to the change in resolution, there is so many things we must take into consideration when trying to design to the highest quality although that is not always possible. In todays world, children growing up don not appreciate technology for what it is because they are brought up with it but I remember my auntie getting her first iPhone and being mesmerised by how she can just play games on it while also operating as a mobile phone. The fundamentals of todays UX design for technology is ensuring it is accessible and understood by all whether they are 4 or 104.
If I was to say the responsiveness of a website, they most likely would not know or understand what I mean because today when the screen is minimised and or changes for different devices, it is just taken for granted. The majority of websites are built to work across all browsers and breakpoints today as responsive design is a fundamental part of an accessible website today, nobody is going to want to use a website that is half cut off or has a bad layout on their phone because it is made to be looked at on a computer.
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, most websites had a fixed layout as most information was only viewed and retrieved using computers but after the introduction of smart phones and tablets, the layout is websites had to become more responsive so they could be interpreted by these new breakpoints. As technology continued to develop, the internet could be accessed on different technologies in so many different places so the fluidity became a more fundamental part.
Content is what us as designers design around, without content what are we designing? Anything from text, visuals such as icons or photos and audios can be things that make up content but without this content there is nothing to design for. Content comes from everywhere such as who you interact the most with on snapchat, gets a friends emoji icon or how your Fitbit is always recording all your steps and heart rate. This content is not only inputted through the use of a screen as smart speakers collect content through the information you feed it with your voice or wearable smart devices are collecting content while you are on the go.
Originally we entered direct input and single input content but as technology has advanced content has been collected using touch, voice and now even gestures! But what is the next step in the collection of content? It is thought the next big step is going to be augmented reality, early examples of this include the IKEA app which allows you to see certain products in your own home before you buy it but in the future it is through this idea could expand to clothing shop changing rooms that allow you to see what clothes would look like on you without needing to change to try them on.
The use of augmented reality and the potential removal of a screen could be beneficial for our society especially in healthcare. Such as Augmedix which aims to maximise the time a doctor spends with a patient by recording their symptoms through a pair of glasses instead of writing it up on the computer. This also benefits doctors as it is less time sitting in one place typing reports and allows more hands on work.
An example of the exciting upcoming AR is the Future Interfaces Group ActiTouch and SurfaceSight AR Technology. Both these AR ideas move away from gestures or control on a screen instead using your arms and hands as touchpoints for Actitouch and different walls and surfaces as inputs for SurfaceSight.
Everything you see has had some sort of design journey to the final product from a pencil to world monuments and every single design has the same core principles behind it.
Proportions are so important in design and can be easy so gauge. The proportions show what’s most important as bigger and less important as smaller. An example of this is that if you drew a dog and a person, the size of the dog should be in proportion to its owner as you wouldn’t have a dog that is 3 times the size of you.