Natural user interface technology: costs and benefits for organizations

Natural User Interface

What is Natural User Interface?

Natural User Interface is a technology that enables users to perform actions on the computer without the visible use of any artificial control devices. In other words, users will be able to operate a computer with speech or hand gestures instead of a keyboard or mouse. These user interfaces will be able to read the gestures or identify the speech and perform actions accordingly. This the latest revolution in the field of computers and many companies are looking to explore this new concept.

Bill Gates, in his last Key Note speech at International CES, identified three important technologies that will contribute to the second digital revolution. One of those was the natural user interface like speech recognition and screens that can recognize hand gestures. (Olenick, 2008). This clearly shows the importance of this technology for the future of the digital world.

Costs and Benefits of this technology to organizations

Every product has a benefit and a cost associated with it and Natural User Interface technology-based products are no different. One of the primary benefits is the flexibility it gives users in terms of its usage. It has brought about a paradigm shift in the interaction between man and machine and this simply means more and more users for the product. This technology is in its nascent stage and as it improves, it is likely to gather a lot of momentum and the usage is only going to up. This product will be a great boon for the retail and service industries. It will enable people to walk into stores and look for whatever they want through these computers. This personal touch is a valuable experience for users because "without physical interaction, information on computers can become very abstract. Surface computing changes this; it makes working with digital information much more personal and physical." (Harris, 2008. p.22). All these factors, in turn, can give a huge boost to the sales and revenue of the company manufacturing these natural user interfaces and this is one of the main reasons a lot of technology companies want to manufacture this product.

The cost associated with this product is also very high. It is a cutting edge technology that requires a lot of specialized manpower to build it. "Surface computing uses a blend of wireless protocols, special machine-readable tags and shape recognition to seamlessly merge the real and the virtual world." (Derene, 2007: para: 4). This requires complex technology and the right kind of people to put it all together and this is going to cost a lot of money. Besides, the research involved in creating this new technology is also quite staggering. All this means increased cost of production for the business and this in turn can translate to lower demands. However, the technology is a huge leap and it can revolutionize the way machines operate in the future, provided the costs are brought down by the companies.

Current Products

Natural User Interface is an emerging field and so there are only a handful of products available in the market. Two of the most popular products are mentioned below:

DiamondTouch

DiamondTouch is a multi-touch interface manufactured by a company called Circle Twelve Inc. The most unique feature of this product is its capacity for human recognition. It can recognize the touch of one human being from another when everyone is touching the same screen. This table is a great tool for conferencing, collaborating and decision-making. DiamondTouch was available for the public from 2006 and currently it sells for about $10,000.

Comparisons

The main difference between the two products is the human factor identification that exists in DiamondTouch and the absence of this feature in Surface. On the other hand, Surface is a complete product for digital content. It can support 52 fingers and do a whole range of activities like identifying the wine when a glass is placed on it. It can be a fun and interactive device that can be placed in many stores and restaurants. DiamondTouch is mainly for project management and collaborative work rather than for digital content.

Recommendations

These devices are an a great addition to anyone's life. However, the costs are quite prohibitive. Average households may not be able to spend $10,000 for a multi-touch device and the only way this can become enmasse is, when the prices go down. Any user, who is interested in buying these devices must evaluate the costs and the potential benefits out of it before deciding to indulge in this large sum of money. As for the companies, I would recommend looking at some options to bring the cost down so that it can be used widely.

References and bibliography

Olenick, Doug. (January 21, 2008). Gates Forecasts 2nd Digital Decade at CES. TWICE: This Week in Consumer Electronics. 23(2). pp 6-8

Derene, Glenn. (July 2007). The coffee table that will change the world. Popular Mechanics. 184(7). pp 88-91.

Harris, Christopher. (April 2008). Surface Computing coming to your library? School Library Journal. 54(4). pp 22-22.

Brown, Stuart.F. (July 2008). Hands-On Computing. Scientific American. 299(1). pp64-67.

Upbin, Bruce. (November 2007). Multi-Touch Wall. Forbes. 180(10). pp72-72.