Late last year, I mentioned that User Interfaces will undergo significant developments in 2008. Handheld or mobile devices are likely to benefit from these efforts the most. Computer magazine had an article (sorry, subscription required) on this topic, where they described it as "A successful UI, like a well-designed doorknob, is one that no one notices".
The purpose of the user interface is to discern user intent. The newly redesigned iPod nano has incorporated these capabilities into its interface. In the last year, we've seen the use of a variety of features to round out the user interface for both:
Input-
And output-
- Sound
- Speech
- Vibration
- Graphics
Having more self-aware and environmentally (nearby devices) aware interfaces will significantly improve the context awareness of our information appliances. These environmental networks will continue to expand in capability at an accelerated pace, making the edge of the enterprise have an extended interface capability as well.
