Designing User Experience (UX) for Future Products: Insights from Liz Swen Beg
Liz Swen Beg, the head of design at D BT and a PhD candidate in Information Design, is dissecting the concept of designing UX for future products. In her engaging talk, she brings to the limelight a host of strategies, sharing examples of futuristic digital technologies, and the ethics that underpin UX design for the future.
About Liz Swen Beg
From South Africa, Liz is a design enthusiast who is currently juggling her job as the head of design at D BT with her PhD in Information Design. A self-professed lover of adventure, Liz has explored 22 countries, and appreciates the world for its diversity. Besides her professional pursuits, you could also find her playing the violin in an 1800s cover band.
Understanding The Current Designing Scenario
As Liz emphasizes, while creating products and brainstorming ideas, designers always need to consider the user's real world scenario which often involves varying light conditions, noise, and various other distractions. These unconventional situations allow so much scope for UX design to thrive and create a difference in people's lives.
Interactions of The Future
Future-oriented product design tends to evolve beyond screens to the realm of experiences. Designers need to mold their creativity to develop technologies that can enhance experiences and interactions in everyday life. Let’s examine a few of these technologies through the lens of Liz Swen Beg.
Augmented Reality (AR)
AR technology overlays information onto real-world scenes. For instance, the John Hopkins neurosurgery department conducted their first AR surgery, where the solution helped surgeons to clearly visualize the operation area in real-time.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Some may argue that VR is just escapism, but its medical applications, especially for children undergoing treatments, prove this to be untrue. The technology allows children to play games, insulating them from the fear usually associated with clinical procedures.
Voice Interfaces
Voice interfaces are instrumental in representing users. Google Assistant, for instance, now allows you to delegate phone call tasks to it based on specific parameters you set.
The World of 'Smart' Everything
In this era of digital transformation, we see the advent of “smart” products almost everywhere, from Bosch’s sensor-inspired, automated laundry services to IKEA’s smart table that provides numerous functionalities like measuring ingredients, providing recipe suggestions, etc.
Gesture Interfaces
Moving a stuff just by a wave of a hand might sound like a fantasy, but the advent of gesture interfaces like Google Soli project is making it a reality. For instance, gesture control in BMW cars enables simple hand motions to regulate various vehicle controls.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The IoT connects everything with each other, aiding them in cooperation to enhance the overall experience. From a sensor detecting moisture in the soil and scheduling garden watering accordingly to an Amazon security drone connected with Amazon Alexa to monitor house security, interconnected technology is simplifying our lives.
Brain Interfaces
This is a novel field where brain activity controls interfaces. Elon Musk’s Neuralink is imploring this concept, wherein a sensor implanted in the brain connects to the phone via Bluetooth – for instance, enabling monkeys to control games with mere thoughts.
The Importance of Ethical Design
Liz emphasizes that product development must consider ethical design, which involves diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and safeguards against misuse of the products.
Concluding Thoughts
In Liz's view, the future has indeed arrived and it's time for designers to step up and incorporate these technologies into the products and solutions they create to enhance the user's interaction and experience. As technology advances, it is clear that UX design is not just about designing the user-interface, but also considering the larger ethical implications it has on society.