Attention UX professionals! As of March 2022, Phase 5 has updated and re-released its Future of the Interface white paper. Consider it essential reading if your role or your business relies on interactions with customers. Sound like you? More details are below.
With the help of technology, the world we live in (both real and virtual) is changing fast, and the way we engage with one another is changing, too. Whether for business or for personal reasons, many of our interactions now tend to happen with the help of some digital tool. And as this evolution has taken place, our expectations around service and experience have also evolved. Clunky user experiences / customer experiences can be a definite competitive disadvantage; the type where a second chance isn't always granted.
In writing this paper, Phase 5 UX experts Colin Anderson (VP Experience Strategy), Celine Huot (UX Manager) and myself teamed up to examine these key elements of a good user experience:
- Efficiency
- Discoverability
- Memorability
- Accessibility
While these 4 elements will stand the test of time, we need to change the way we view and measure them as interfaces become more "invisible and ubiquitous". A paradigm shift is necessary to stay ahead of customer needs and expectations. For example, where pre-populating a form with current customer information may have seemed efficient in the past, perhaps in the future, there will be no need for a form at all.
Two detailed examples from the updated paper that demonstrate how dramatically things are changing include (1) the emerging use of the "metaverse", and (2) the "Internet of Bodies". As these move from nascent to more widespread applications, the possibilities open to service delivery and experience design could be experience "game-changers" once again.
Download your copy of The Future of the Interface, 2022 Version to learn more about what matters in UX design, and how to future-proof your organization.
