What is Zero-UI?
Zero User Interface, or Zero-UI, is an increasingly popular concept first coined by designer Andy Goodman, formerly at Accenture Interactive's agency. It is about getting away from the touchscreen and interfacing with the devices around us more naturally. This includes different fields such as haptics, computer vision, voice control, and even artificial intelligence.
Why do we need this transition?
Today, machines still force us to come to them on their terms, speaking their language. The next step for electronic devices is to finally understand us on our terms, in our own natural words, behaviours, and gestures. This is precisely where Zero-UI appears.
Different Types of Zero-UI
There are various ways to communicate with current technology instead of relying on a visual screen: Voice Recognition and Control (Siri, Amazon Echo), Haptic Feedback (vibration-based feedback in wearables), Ambient devices (bridge between digital and physical space), Gesture-Based User Interfaces (Microsoft Kinect, Nintendo Wii), and Context Awareness (AirPods sensors anticipating needs).
Zero-UI will rely on Data and AI
Whereas interface designers right now live in apps like InDesign and Adobe Illustrator, the non-linear design problems of Zero-UI will require vastly different tools and skill sets. Designers will have to become experts in science, biology, and psychology to create these devices.
What's after Zero-UI?
Zero-UI is the ultra-modern version of artificial intelligence. Looking to the future, the next big step will be for the concept of the "device" to disappear. — by Sundar Pichai, Google C.E.O
