The simplest form of interaction possible is the act of human conversation. Two sources, both capable of forming individual thought, with the intent to stimulate, educate, or inform. At its core, interaction is deliberately interfacing with a person or object — but in modernity, it goes deeper. It’s taken on the meaning of using a device, or connecting with technology, to entertain, learn, or communicate. Current trends favor quality design, clean aesthetics and a sense of delight.

As someone deeply interested in connectivity and the impact of technology on society, I find that there’s a stark contrast between the idea of interactivity, and some of its contemporary implementations. Sometimes it seems as though users don’t utilize the agency they’re given over technology, and instead use it as a crutch or let it dominate their lives in certain situations. The notion that “technology was created to make things easier” is inherently false in my eyes, although its lasting benefits are widespread. I’m vested in the idea of using interactivity for good, whether that’s for assisting people with disabilities or creating new opportunities for space travel and exploration.

I find myself in a constant state of flux with technology, hovering somewhere between contempt and embrace. I observe interactions almost absentmindedly, things like frustrated users with a buggy app or my mother unable to get the sound to work with her TV, and look for opportunities to simplify these interchanges, making them less invasive and more inviting. The ultimate goal of any UX designer should be creating an experience that affords the user agency, but with tact and subtlety. It’s crucial (to me, anyway) that users spend less time doing, and more time being done.

Technology’s rapid growth has certainly inspired a generation of innovators and creators, but also a spawn of complacent users who become so firmly entrenched in their comfort zone that they become agitated at small change, new ideas, or unresponsive/unreliable products. Today’s consumers are sometimes immobile and can’t be coaxed in a direction when products change, or turn obstinate when certain functionality is unfamiliar, slow, or broken. Small changes can confuse some users easily, while others welcome ideation and modification.

It’s important, too, to recognize the vast and far reaching implications of social media’s influence on collective consciousness. More than ever before, people are able to communicate across spatial barriers instantly, sharing ideas, news and opinions. However, this also provides a platform for strong bias, skewed coverage, bigotry, and abuse. While some may cry censorship, the common consensus agrees that the need for content moderation is higher now than ever before. With almost half of the world’s population now connected to the internet, increasing amounts of sharks infest the waters of reason and reality. This reinforces the time-honored adage, “there’s a time and a place for everything”.

I believe that our duty as an industry is to simplify interaction and make working with any platform concise and enjoyable. The advancements in UI over the past 10 years are astonishing — as someone born in the early 90’s and not remembering a time before computers, that’s a big deal. Over my lifetime, we’ve gone from Oregon Trail’s text based adventures and 16-bit graphics to Grand Theft Auto V’s 81km2 map size and open-world opportunity, and from bland, tan CRT’s to gorgeous slabs of metal and glass with pixel-rich Retina LCD screens right in the palm of our hands. I think it’s that incredible transformation that drives me to innovate and inspire. The very essence of technology’s potential metamorphosis is inherent in its basic tenets, which are to assist and inform. Creating enjoyable experiences is of the utmost importance, and we can’t allow ourselves to deviate from the common good.