On Thursday, February 23, I showed up to TLMUX, a new acronym, yes, but much cooler than others! Tout Le Monde (en parle) UX (“Everyone is talking about UX”), the name and concept derived from the ubiquitous French-Canadian talk show Tout Le Monde En Parle. Several key elements inspire the concept such as exchanges between presenters during and after their presentations. They also give small commentary cards to each presenter, but (and I quote Philippe Beaudoin of ElementAI) “much less foolish”. The evening is off to a good start!
(click here for the 2018-2019 UX Trends)
1st UX Trend: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
If I start my UX trend article with TLMUX, it’s because the subjects had me hooked. Think AI First – an offshoot of Mobile First – presents us their Montreal applied research lab. Their goal: “Helping companies take the AI-First shift by allowing them to tackle the next big challenges in artificial intelligence.”
During the evening, an interesting question was asked: what’s the difference between an ultra complex algorithm and artificial intelligence? The answer: in theory, AI can learn by itself and therefore modify variables of its initial programming. An algorithm remains fixed and unchanged. However complex it might be, it will always apply the same rules and conditions as originally imposed.
Some challenges to take on in the coming years [and it’s already started] are:
Employment
Jobs will not only be automated in the manufacturing of goods, as has been planned for decades, but also in areas such as heavy truck driving, news writing and accounting.
- Potential UX Solution: design a “human” formula to replace our accountant
Responsibility
In a world where artificial intelligence will be omnipresent, who will be to blame if an incident causes injury or even the death of a human being. E.g.: An algorithm for driving that must choose between the life of the driver or the pedestrian.
- Potential UX solution: design of a self-driving car dashboard
Privacy
Regulating data collection remains a challenge. AI companies will quickly adopt a penchant for gathering information from users with or without their consent. E.g.: Through “datamining”, a shop guesses that a girl is pregnant and targets her with future mum’s advertising … before she has a chance to tell her parents.
Prejudices
A system of automatic learning algorithms is not immune to judgment if the information provided is not well balanced in terms of data quality and quantity. E.g.: A beauty contest with 6000 participants with dubious results where sample images did not present varied ethnicity.
- Potential UX solution: Interface design measuring data relevance [quality, quantity, variety]
The future of artificial intelligence is promising, but we must understand the challenges that await. Sound procedures and principles must be in place to take advantage of benefits while avoiding inconveniences.
2nd UX Trend: Inclusive Design And Conversational Interface
Next, Mr. Denis Boudreau presented the concept of empathy for users in interface design as a UX professional. “Empathy towards people who use these systems is a key factor in the success of designing these interfaces, but empathy cannot be commanded; It must first be developed. ”
The simple fact of asking ourselves whether our design meets accessibility criteria is already applying empathetic / inclusive design. One can, for example, install a plug-in that simulates the visible colors spectrum for people with color blindness. Color Oracle adds to your image editor colour palettes that simulate deuteranopia, protanopia and tritanopia. This allows you to take these parameters into account when designing your interfaces.
Another example of inclusive design, but at code and HTML tag levels, provides developers with the time to properly identify the page tags to allow screen readers for the blind to properly understand the content. In the next clip, we present the latest version of ChromeVox [Next], the latest model of its kind. It improves the classic reader [top down] and offers more advanced accessibility to the page content.
If you haven’t had the chance to attend the conference, you can read the outline here.
Which leads me to reveal some UX trends for 2017, which include the previously presented topics:
3rd UX Trend: Multi-screens
More of us are having multi-screen experiences simply by watching a conventional television program (or using a computer or tablet) while simultaneously using a mobile phone to maintain a conversation with a friend or family member. For some time now, applications called “Second Screen Experience” have been developed. We can therefore catch our favourite show while consulting relevant content about the scene we are watching live on the screen. Here is a good example, which is not recent, but that evolved well with the TV series The Walking Dead.
4th UX Trend: Anticipatory Design
Per Aaron Shapiro, CEO of Huge, ” Anticipatory design is fundamentally different: decisions are made and executed on behalf of the user “. So, designing an interface that considers the user’s next actions reduces the number of options by offering the expected [best] choice.
A good example of this trend is the application of online grocer Peapod. Thanks to its “Order Genius” machine, it lets you fill your basket in a few clicks based on your last orders. Additionally, the application suggestions consider seasons and product cycles.
5th UX Trend: Invisible Interface
Commonly referred to as Zero UI, the trend refers to the absence of a conventional interface where the user calls a separate screen of content to make choices. We are talking here about displayed data.
Territory Games offers us Zero UI style interfaces in Forza Horizon 3, the very popular series of car driving games.
6th UX Trend: Evolving Terminology
Per uxdesign.cc, we’re starting to abandon certain expressions such as “mobile friendly” and “responsive design”. Over time, these expressions lose their importance and become obsolete. We no longer sell intuitive experiences. It’s proven with positive user tests and customer feedback. We no longer mention being just “2 clicks” from the information you want. This is no longer a problem since Internet connections are extremely fast. The importance of having the visible content above the fold loses its meaning with the multitude of screen formats. So, our vocabulary is transformed and gives way to new terms that will soon describe our reality.
What will be the next buzzword? Place your bets!
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