Our future is based on our tradition

#DESIGN FOR HUMANS #EXPERIENCE DESIGN #FUTURE TRENDS #INTERNET OF THINGS #WHY

Futurists are convinced that society will change more in the next two decades than it has in the past 300 years. We allow technology to make our lives easier. Like fine electromagnetic roots, it weaves itself into our tissue structure and becomes part of our future. Digital networking encompasses people and organisations and has a lasting influence on the processes of our daily lives as well as in companies and organisations.

We live in a networked world, with buzzwords such as Industry 4.0, Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality or cloud computer heard and spoke everywhere. While some do not know what to do with it, others are desperately trying to live up to new trends and are digitizing every service and product. Do we really want to improve things or just digitize them?

The stupid way to digitization

Why do we all talk about digitization and why is software always mentioned when we speak about networks? Not because everything should be digital, but because we want to work more connected. In the end, everything should strive to revolve around experiences with a product or service and those who use them. Originally, products and services were also developed for the user. The fact is, companies that set themselves the goal of simplifying daily lives of users will increasingly stand out from competition resulting in market leadership through the user experience.

It’s interesting to observe that despite this fact, most companies do not feel the need to improve their customer experience chain, but instead, digitize everything that can be digitized. This however can backfire, because there is still strong justification for analogue and tactile controls.

Consider security… Why haven’t the hand brake, brake pedal or other safety systems been digitized yet? Obviously, there are reasons that we should not ignore. For example, we activate the emergency brake on the train via a lever. The noticeable red lever is pulled down with a powerful jerk. Our ‘alert’ brain needs this haptic response as security. What would it look like when the emergency brake is displayed and activated via a touch screen? Is a short touch sufficient to convey the feeling of security and outcome? We think the user needs an analogue experience here, so we should be very careful about digitizing this too radically.

Are you still thinking or do you already feel?

Haptic feedback is not only important in terms of safety. It also entails emotion, which is transported through the experience an operator has. If you offer a pianist a digital piano, he would most likely still choose his grand piano because of the experience they have with the piano. Computer keyboards that we are accustomed to blindly use, would it make sense to digitize them? A clear, no. The reasons are obvious. Not only would the haptic feedback be lost when pressing the keys, but the focus would also shift. There’d be no use for learned memory of where the keys are anymore. Instead of focusing on the screen, we would need to focus on the digital keyboard and screen at the same time. This wouldn’t make life and daily work any easier, but add more difficulty and possibly inconvenience.

In the future, we should therefore think when and whether digitization makes sense by asking smart questions. User behaviour must be taken into consideration when developing products and services, and the operators should be enabled and included rather than run over. We all know, humans are creatures of habits and cannot just easily reprogram what we have learned and know best.

Have you showered digitally?

Even though society is going to change fundamentally, there is still a lot that distinguishes us from machines and codes. To put it in the words of futurist Gerd Leonhard: “We are not digital. We should also not try to become machines because we would be very bad at it.” Leonhard advises international companies such as Google on topics like digital transformation and human-machine interaction. So, let’s not try to convince ourselves that in the future everything will be digital. What kind of experience would we have with a digital shower or a digital meal?

There are still many things that should stay physical and haptic to create an optimal user experience. Digitalization is beneficial when used to compliment the physical, human environment, not to replace but to empower. Luckily, there are specialists who help companies develop experience strategies. The design studio Schindler Creations, with locations in Switzerland and Austria is an expert and advocate of users. Services range from innovation strategies to design solutions for complex systems and sophisticated goods. The creators at Schindler Creations are “emotionalists” who have set themselves the goal of improving and simplifying user’s work and experiences with products and services. For years, pioneers such as Facebook, CapitalOne and DMG MORI have relieved on the expertise of user experience designers, setting new standards and creating unique experiences for users. Are you ready to integrate this approach?

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