About the future of UX design.

1. The Mysterious
Disappearance
of the Button

2. Good afternoon.
My name is Bart.

3. This is my daughter
Merel (I have 3 kids).

4. I’m passionate
about coffee.

5. I’m passionate about
I live and work
in Ghent.

6. I work at digital agency Wijs (ex Netlash-bSeen).

7. Part of Heaven Can Wait ecosystem.

8. You can find me on
Twitter: @netlash

9. http://slideshare.net/netlash

10. The Mysterious
Disappearance
of the Button
About the future of UX design.
Multi-Mania, 13/5/2013

12. A quiet
revolution.

13. ‣ communications (chat, mail, skype, blog, twitter)
‣ media (music, video, news)
‣ technology
‣ ...
Massive shift from analog to digital

14. We’re only halfway.

15. When you say
‘camera’...

16. ... do you think
‘analog’ or ‘digital’ ?

17. Buttons evolve
from ‘physical’

18. Buttons evolve
from ‘physical’
to ‘digital’.

19. Our cars will be next.

20. Even the washing
machines get
touchscreens.

21. Smartphone controlled toilet.
Of course, you
can push this
too far...

22. If everything becomes digital, and every device gets a
digital interface:
UX design will become an even more important
skill.
UX Design

23. A quiet
revolution.

24. “Every new technology starts by copying
the old technology.”

25. First tv-shows were
theatre plays with a
camera pointed at them.

26. Until this.

27. At first, we need the language of the old
technology to understand the new technology.
We create metaphors.

28. 450“horsepower”

29. - desktop
- folders
- files
- trash
- ...

30. Until this.

31. Why is the iPad ‘intuitive’?

32. locus of
control
locus of
attention

33. ‘What we do’ and ‘what we see’ is in 2 different
places.
The metaphor of ‘mouse + pointer’ creates small
brain friction.
We need ‘brain CPU’ just to work with a
desktop.

34. locus of
control
locus of
attention

35. Tablets with touchscreens remove the
metaphor.
They remove the ‘brain friction’, and thus feel
more intuitive.

36. UX design is coming of age.
It is finding its own language. It is removing the
metaphors.

37. ‣ physical buttons -> digital buttons
‣ 3d-effects, bevels, drop shadows
‣ skeuomorphism
Step 1: copy

39. Copy physical
buttons to
digital buttons.

40. ‣ metro style
‣ Pinterest
‣ ...
Step 2: the visual web

43. Yes, I know. It’s a bit of a fad.
But it’s also a sign that UX design is losing the
metaphors, and accepting its own language.
(The screen is flat. Accept it.)
Step 2: flat webdesign

44. Buttons are being replaced by gestures.
Step 3: gestures

45. Step 3: gestures

46. Boldly going where no man has gone before?
Step 4: what’s next?

47. Moving into science-
fiction teritory now...

48. “The action is the button.”

49. Shazam

50. Wii

51. Bump

52. Moves app

53. Parrot headphones

54. Google Glass

55. Memoto

56. Camera reads emotion.

57. ‣ location based -> geofences
‣ movement
‣ sensor (heart rate, pulse...)
‣ context based (calendar + traffic: Google Now)
Context-aware devices.
The action is the button

58. UX design is coming of age.
UX design will be about using the context to
define actions.

59. Move away from the metaphor.

60. Move away from the metaphor.
Start using contextual input to remove the button.

61. Expect:
more profound change.

62. Not just a faster horse...

63. ‣ not just extra channels
‣ not just ‘better marketing’
‣ profound societal changes
Profound changes

64. Be prepared to flip your value chain.
Think digital.

65. Questions?

66. Wijs bvba
Voorhavenlaan 31/3
9000 GENT
09 335 22 80
09 330 09 83
http://wijs.be
info@wijs.be
BE 0473.071.275