The future of UX is going to be all in the flick of a thumb and a pinch of thought.
This year’s Meta Connect keynote got me really excited – especially the Orion holographic wide-field AR glasses and their neural interface technology. The electromyography (EMG) wristband was intriguing – it means controlling spatial user interfaces with subtle neural signals. A flick of a thumb. A tiny pinch. Quick tap of a finger.
This is going to be a game-changer for how we approach spatial UX and UI. Imagine designing interfaces that respond to a user’s intent without them needing to make any visible hand gestures. We’re moving beyond physical interactions and gestures. Now we’re talking microgestures.
And perhaps microgestures will soon give way to microthoughts? Imagine truly seamless interactions within immersive spaces, where UX designers are no longer designing for the eyes or hands – but for the mind itself. Given the pace we’re moving, that’s not too far-fetched.
Our role as digital designers is to imagine how users will engage with interfaces in these future realities – and importantly, to rethink how we approach UX/UI design to meet those new possibilities.
It’ll be a while before Orion hits the consumer market, but they definitely look a lot spiffier than Snap’s AR glasses with those granny frames. Then again, maybe I’m not in touch with kids’ fashion sense these days.
For now, I’m sticking with my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (which are way cooler, by the way). My friends tease me for wearing them – all they do is take photos, videos and play music. I bought them for the Meta AI feature, but annoyingly it hasn’t rolled out in Australia yet. Been waiting since February.
As we move from mobile AR to smart glasses as the next mainstream computing platform, the social contract around wearing these glasses in public will be the next hurdle. The world wasn’t ready for Google Glass back in 2013 (remember glassholes?). With microgestures, neuro interfaces and AI becoming part of everyday life – perhaps we’re finally ready for smart glasses now. This shift will raise important questions around ethics, privacy and surveillance. Exciting times – albeit somewhat worrying.
Either way – I’ve got my Ray-Bans ready (puts them on dramatically, CSI style 😎) – just waiting for the future to catch up.
