Friday 26 February 2016

Evaluate the Impact of a Potential Future Development in HCI

 

Introduction

Human computer interaction has been developed and expanded upon for quite some time now. Ever since more advanced technology (at the time) came out, many companies have been working on development of these devices or updated software for the user to be able to use these devices efficiently. As it has become part of a rapidly growing industry, more and more companies keep developing to assist users in this regard, while companies that have been around for a long time have established huge reputations for themselves by (at least partially) making these developments.

What developments might we see in HCI in the future?

I, likely along with almost everybody who knows about it, believe that HCI will only carry on progressing through the companies work on it. Computers are ‘evolving’ at a rapid rate so it only makes sense that the way we interact with these devices will improve at a similar if not faster rate at some point. Looking back, developments have already progressed greatly. Comparing the first mobile phone (which at the time was a technological marvel) with a modern smartphone just shows by itself how much HCI has developed because now most people won’t leave the house without their potentially expensive smartphone.
Think about how you use your smartphone and compare it to how (mobile) phones were when they first came out. The first was solely used with buttons for numbers, microphone and a little speaker for sound to come through. Modern smartphones, however, are so much more advanced that it’s difficult to imagine that they started with the old mobile phone. Now smartphones can save contacts for instant calling and texting but alongside that it has easy access to the internet and internet connections from around a city for example. There are things that have been improved among even smartphones themselves that we do almost as a natural reaction. If you wanted to zoom in to something on your phone, you would (probably) use two fingers and spread them apart, like most people. That is a general response but wasn’t around a while ago. The fact that things today would have been thought impossible when technology was first introduced leads to potential with what could happen with smartphones in the future. Think about things you’d not be likely to think is possible. Hover boards? Holographic projections? Well they’re possibly just around the corner, as I hear news of an actual hover board in production (one without wheels, which isn’t technically a hover board).

Recent Developments

As you may have heard, virtual reality is being developed rapidly with multiple companies all jumping on the VR headset boat. Some of the purposes differ among the companies but all of them are based off the same basic concept, interact with your surroundings, computer or even game console in new ways that are more immersive. Virtual reality is a rapidly growing topic especially among the video game community. A lot of virtual reality headsets are being designed to allow those playing games to feel more immersed and more like they are in the world. Mostly this is based on a headset that shows images, but I believe I have seen news of a virtual reality kit that is trying to work on making the person feel entirely like they are in a game by using body sensing technology [1], which personally I find exciting as it shows what technology is (or at least close to being) able to accomplish.
Gaming aside, Microsoft is developing a headset [2] that isn’t primarily for games although I believe that is an intentional function considering the Xbox and PC market that they have. Their headset is there to try and make life easier for people in terms of their technology and surroundings. Using the surroundings, the headset type thing displays things in your surrounding that aren’t there but function using the headset. The best way to describe it would probably be like phone apps but not on a phone and instead using the environment a person is living in.

Conclusion

In conclusion, HCI is rapidly growing.  Considering that, impending advancements could be great and also just around the corner. I imagine we will all be living much differently in the future than we do now, considering that we’ve come this far with technology alone.