The Native User Interface and the Birth of Human Technology
Graphical User Interface has done wonders for the computing world. I'm just old - and fortunate - enough to remember the days of command based computing: MS-DOS and that green screen that required commands to run and execute programs.... That takes you back too huh? Along with those square 3.5", 2 MB floppy disks (an improvement from the 5.25" ones for the early Macs).
Then as I alluded to, along comes Windows (or Mac depending on the story), and the necessity of a differentiated real life/virtual navigation brought on the birth of the mouse to help navigate these graphical "windows" that now populated your desktop screen....
And this worked fantastically for the next decade. BUT....
Then Apple comes along and begins to popularize the touch screen with the first Iphone. Simplicity and design at its best. It's the mass market birth of next generation, consumer oriented technology - dubbed Native User Interface (NUI) for it's simplicity and intuitive use. It's the beginning of "human technology".
I've seen young kids pick up an Iphone and have absolutely no difficulty in using it and navigating to different options and apps. And I'm regarded as a native user.... just wait until they grow up.
But what's really interesting - at least in my mind with this video - are the "social" implications of this NUI. As demonstrated in the video, putting your phone on the "screen" or a picture will transfer the information flawlessly.... Imagine navigating a presentation with your mobile device and pulling in live Tweets, comments, or text messages from it and adding them on the fly, in real time to the presentation. It take video conferences to a new level.
Notice I said "mobile device". Not only do I see this including tablets and cell phones, but other personal devices that will follow your person as you interact with your environment in the future - work or home, building on the last post - and to be continued in the next post.
I see many technology companies taking advantage of all of these possibilities and driving innovation through what's being called "social gaming", a new kind of video game popularized by things like Farmville on Facebook where your progress depends on the involvement and assistance of friends.
There are already numerous Iphone apps that let you play a game with another Iphone friend anywhere in the world... it is only a matter of time before this is done on a larger scale and integrated into social platforms like Twitter.
Microsoft has a great opportunity with Xbox Live and the Windows 7 phones. Integrating professional work, play, community and communication, all while remaining in contact with your network through next-generation, touchscreen NUIs will remove many of the lest over barriers to information sharing.
