We have only touched the surface of what’s possible with technology. From the early days of bulky personal computers and dial-up internet to the laptops and tablets that we have today with high-speed internet access, technology has evolved drastically in a few short decades.
In a world that is dominated with screens all screaming for our attention, zero UI aims to seamlessly integrate technology into our lives. This has started to change the way society interacts with technology.
Zero UI is just another way of referring to interfaces that don’t require traditional methods of input. Instead, its goal is to remove barriers to technology and create experiences that are like talking to another person. Imagine removing touchscreens, monitors, keyboards, and mice, and simply talking or gesturing to a system, which can interpret your actions and respond back to you.
In fact, many people already use some form of zero UI today, which we’ll dive deeper into in this article. We’ll also talk about where zero UI is headed in the future along with potential applications of the technology, and the challenges that surround zero UI applications. Are you ready for the future of zero UI?
Before we dive into what zero UI is and its use cases, let’s understand what we mean by traditional UI. One of the first computers that introduced a GUI was the Xerox Alto, released in 1973. A GUI is a digital interface that displays graphical components, such as a mouse cursor, icons, buttons, scrollbars, and other visual indicators, which allow users to interact with the computer.
Instead of using a text-based interface, like a terminal or command-line interface (CLI), a GUI makes the experience much easier for users to visually consume information. They are traditionally used with peripheral devices, such as keyboards or mice:
(Source: IEEE Spectrum)
As technology evolved over, the way that people interacted with GUIs also transformed. Now, touchscreens are commonly used for mobile devices. Users can directly perform gestures on a touchscreen, such as tapping and swiping, to interact with a GUI. Common examples of products with touchscreens are smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Zero UI, or a “zero user interface,” is the next generation of how people interact with devices. Instead of using traditional screens and physical controls, zero UI devices don’t have an interface and are seamlessly integrated into our environment. They offer a more intuitive, natural way to interact with the technology.
Rather than having users learn how to use an interface, zero UI devices are trained to rely on means such as voice, gestures, and facial expressions, which allow users to input information to a system, which then responds to that type of input.
This provides a more personalized approach, creating more convenient ways for people to access technology without going through the hassle and addictive features of using screen devices. One of the main goals of zero UI is to effectively reduce people’s reliance on traditional computers and smartphones, allowing them to free their time to do other things.
By removing the friction of having to interact with a screen or keyboard, zero UI lends itself to experiences that are potentially accessible to a wider audience.
For more than a decade, zero UI has been on the rise and chances are, you’ve probably interacted with it in one form or another. From smart devices and wearables to virtual assistants and voice-controlled systems, it has made its way into modern everyday devices.
Some of the main technologies used in zero UI are voice recognition, gesture recognition, haptic feedback, and contextual awareness. Let’s talk about how companies use them.
An early example of zero UI being used is from 2011 when Apple integrated the standalone app Siri into the iPhone 4S, where the “S” stood for Siri.
Siri uses a speech recognition engine and machine learning technology to support a wide range of commands, including checking information, searching the Internet, and scheduling reminders. Users can activate it by saying, “Siri” or “Hey Siri” and use their voice to speak commands or questions, which it will interpret.
Now, Siri is available across various Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and the Siri Remote, which seamlessly integrates the voice assistant across a platform of products. Users can simply speak to Siri without having to interact with a screen, as long as they have a supported device around:
Around the same time, Microsoft released the Kinect for Xbox 360, which was a motion-sensing controller. The zero UI device used RGB cameras and infrared sensors that could detect the depth of objects in front of it. Users could perform real-time gestures and body movements, which would be recognized by the Kinect and registered as user inputs.
This reinvented the way people could interact with video games, opening up opportunities to experience games, especially sports or dancing, in a more interactive way than simply using a physical controller:
Also referred to as vibration-based feedback, this technology physically gives users feedback when using a device. Haptic feedback is commonly used in smartphones as a way to provide users with a physical sensation when interacting with it, such as tapping a button. This communicates to the user that their action has been acknowledged by the system.
You’ll also see haptic feedback in fitness wearables, such as smart watches, to alert users when they’ve received a notification. Apollo’s wearable device can be worn on the wrist or ankle, and uses vibrations to help users relax and calm down when it senses stress in the nervous system:
Zero UI devices often use data and AI to learn user behaviors. This helps them surface relevant information without the user having to input anything. Systems can predict when insights might be helpful to the user based on their needs and provide valuable suggestions and recommended actions.
An example of this is how a GPS might detect a quicker route based on traffic and offer to reroute the user without them having to ask the system first. The zero UI experience gives value in the form of convenience, accessibility, and relevance when a traditional UI product would require more effort from the user to get a similar result.
Another example of contextual awareness is Ecobee, a smart home thermostat. When the device detects that house members have entered the house, it will automatically change the indoor temperature to a level that the user has set. This provides a convenient automated solution that removes the need for manual adjustment, simply due to an advancement in technology:
In 2017, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post about how society was shifting from a mobile-first to an AI-first world. Companies were reimagining how the world could interact with technology in a way that felt more natural and seamless. By applying artificial intelligence and deep learning, products can provide valuable features to users in ways that haven’t been done before.
For example, Google Search has evolved from exchanging text queries for webpages to supporting voice commands with Google Assistant and image recognition with Google Lens.
These technologies give us search capabilities that are different than what we are traditionally used to. By leveraging user data, Google can use your phone’s camera as “eyes” to detect images and retrieve relevant information for what you’re looking at:
In the same year, Adobe mentioned in their blog post that the future of zero UI is data-dependent. Products delivering Zero UI experiences would use data to understand users’ intent and personalize their experiences towards the user.
Instead of using a reactive approach, where the system responds to user input, zero UI can anticipate user needs and automatically provide relevant contextual information to them. As we’ve mentioned in previous examples, this contextual awareness is already evident in current products on the market today.
More recently, Apple released its first version of the Apple Vision Pro, which runs on visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system.
Unlike traditional UI, visionOS takes advantage of the user’s surroundings and uses it as an infinite canvas to display digital content in front of them, including screen displays and video conferences. Apps dynamically react to lighting and cast shadows to help users understand the scale and distance from where they are situated. Not to mention, visionOS is controlled with a user’s eyes, hands, and voice, offering a natural and intuitive zero UI experience without using physical controls:
Apple Immersive Video contributes to a truly immersive experience by offering 180-degree high-resolution video recordings, making it feel like you’re watching a movie screen that’s 100 feet wide. The integrated Spatial Audio technology allows FaceTime audio to be heard from participants relative to their position to the user, simulating a real-life face-to-face conversation:
These advancements in technology from Apple offer a sneak peak into what the future holds for zero UI devices. The visionOS controls remove the need for peripherals like a mouse or keyboard, and instead leverage eye-tracking, gesture recognition, and voice recognition technology to enable users to have full control of the device.
Unlike other zero UI devices that simply integrate into your environment, Apple Vision Pro immerses you into its virtual reality world. This creates a brand new experience where the interaction between the user and technology is seamless and intuitive.
Like with any new technology introduced, accessibility is the major consideration that can help improve experiences and lead to further adoption. In the case of zero UI, its applications( such as voice recognition and context awareness) can enable users to perform actions without physically using a computer or smartphone. However, there are still cases to consider where some users may not be able to take advantage of the technology due to their abilities.
I’ve used Zero UI while I prepare ingredients in the kitchen by asking Google Assistant questions about a recipe. While my hands might be dirty, contaminated, or preoccupied, I can easily get answers to what temperature I should preheat the oven to or what ingredients I can use as substitutes without making a mess on my keyboard or having to stop to wash my hands.
However, voice recognition must be able to support a wide range of edge cases. Everyone’s voice is different and with varying levels of proficiency in a language.
A voice assistant would need to be able to accommodate accents, inarticulate speech, or stutters, among many other factors in order to be accessible to all people. But even supporting these use cases, voice recognition is simply not accessible to people who are nonvocal.
Zero UI experiences involving gesture recognition also face accessibility concerns for people with motor skills impairment. They may not be able to fully perform certain gestures that are recognized by the system, leading to an inability to use the product. However, zero UI devices should be used as an alternative and not a replacement. Every person is unique in their abilities, which means that it’s impossible to make just one product or experience that fits everyone’s needs.
As long as there are accessible solutions on the market that help people gain equal access to a similar experience, whether it’s through a smartphone or a physical device, zero UI is a good option for people seeking a more hands-off solution.
Data privacy is also a concern for many zero UI devices because they often require storing user data to detect patterns in behavior and recognize voices and visuals. This can potentially leave these devices prone to data security breaches, which can leave users vulnerable if their personal data is leaked to a third-party source.
Companies that offer zero UI products and services must be transparent about their data privacy policies and ensure that they take significant measures to prevent data breaches from occuring in order to gain and keep the trust of their users.
In a world full of technology, digital products are constantly evolving and creating new ways for users to experience the world around them. As society advanced the way we interact with GUIs, from using a keyboard and mouse to touchscreen gestures, the experience of using technology became more seamless and natural.
The boundaries between real life and technology began to blur as zero UI devices became available, such as AI assistants, motion sensing controllers, and fitness wearables. Instead of sitting down to use a traditional computer, zero UI applies technology to our lives that responds to our voice and gestures, and it’s context aware.
The future of interface design will definitely see more zero UI experiences because people want technology to be integrated into their surroundings without it being a disturbance. However, because we’re still in the early stages of zero UI devices, accessibility and data privacy pose reasonable concerns for users. As we see more advancements in technologies such as virtual reality and generative AI, that leaves exciting potential opportunities to create immersive and powerful experiences using Zero UI.
Header image source: IconScout
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