From clunky and chunky, immovable 1990s home computers to incredibly slick, portable tablet devices, user interface (UI) technology has come on in leaps and bounds in a short period of time. Helped along by the mass adoption of mobile device technology and a sharp uptake in people educated on how to use these devices, businesses specializing in innovative mobile device design have arguably become some of the most profitable companies of all time.
Modern use cases of UI technology
From video gaming to calling up a friend, sending a text message, or even playing casino slot games, touch screens are the primary way to interact with the internet through our devices. Casino gaming is one of the best use cases, as recent developments in the slot gaming industry have led to many designers aiming exclusively for the iPad and tablet casino gaming market.
Multiple providers have identified touchscreen tablet slot gaming as a growing trend within the industry. As gaming graphics improve and the fast-emerging 5G irons out latency issues, casino companies are using this area as a critical area to improve. Jackpot games by Royal Panda highlight the potential for casino companies that can adjust to new consumer behavior and embed innovation in UI technology to present a strong, more impactful way to play a range of casino games, not just slot gaming.
Key developments in UI tech
Touch-screen devices are considered the most pioneering development in UI technology; they resulted in a stark change in consumer behavior. Home PCs and laptops dominated how we accessed the internet for a generation, and even the original mobile phone designs all contained button keys and had manual ways to enter letters and send messages.
It wasn’t until the late noughties that this technology permeated popular society. While the technology arrived way back in the early 1990s, it was unaffordable for many and impractical to mass produce. Similar to Artificial Intelligence (AI), it’s not a brand-new innovation. AI has been around for decades, but the recent developments within AI and the ingenuity of mobile apps encompassing this technology have got the world sitting up and taking notice.
It is a similar story with UI; the first touchscreen phone came courtesy of LG in 2006, but it was Apple’s first smartphone release in 2007 that is widely credited with driving mass adoption and phasing out the idea of mobile devices with keyboards, opting for touchscreen UI instead.
The next big step in UI technology
The last decade has generated some magnificent changes in UI technology, from voice-recognition apps like Siri, or sending voice notes instead of text, to metaverse-style virtual reality technology where you can immerse yourself in a virtual, digital world. Analysts and experts believe it will be an advancement of one of these technologies that will result in the next significant change.
It’s a case of hedging your bets, as all of these sectors now have colossal levels of investment. Ultimately, it’s a race between the brightest designers within these industries to deliver the most innovative development that can be used en masse, implementing cost-effectiveness and efficiency as part of a product’s core makeup.
Although there’s reasonable evidence that Mark Zuckerberg may have jumped the gun with his VR investment, there’s no denying it will definitely play some role in the future of UI and how people engage with others online. It is the sheer scope of this involvement that is the cause of such heated debate in technological circles.
Final thoughts
From the original keyboard and touchscreen technology to voice recognition apps, and more recently, biometric design, the advancements in UI have been pioneering. They make up a large part of the technology industry’s success.
Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet have all benefited to the tune of billions of dollars, thanks to key innovators in technology and UI ingenuity, ultimately facilitating a far more convenient way for people to interact with their smartphones and mobile devices. Several companies that rely on UI technological advances, such as Apple, funnel billions of dollars annually into tech companies that aim to improve the current UI landscape.
While it would be challenging to find any tech enthusiasts or experts who don’t believe the next significant UI change will come from VR, AI, or voice recognition technology, the specifics remain blurred. The rewards could be in the tens of billions of dollars for the company that can crack the code and facilitate the next significant advancement in UI tech.
