Month: October 2014

UI / UX News: October 2014

Posted on by Altia

The world of UX/UI is constantly evolving. Discover developments from the innovative to the idiosyncratic in our monthly brief.

New car dash LCD displays break the moldUX/UI News

Sharp has designers thinking outside the box with their newly developed process for creating LCD displays. No longer limited to rectangular screens, these displays will require only one flat side, opening doorways to enhanced designs and more plentiful screen space.

For a closer look, check out Jason Torchinsky’s recent article for Jalopnik, Car Dash Designers Are Finally Free from the Prison of Rectangular LCDs

Smart lawn sprinklers save money and water

Now you can grow your grass and shrink your water bill at the same time. The Skydrop sprinkler controller helps users to “water smarter” by monitoring soil conditions and local weather via wifi and establishing optimum watering schedules based on collected data.

To learn more about Skydrop, visit the site at skydrop.com.

Continue reading “UI / UX News: October 2014”

Will Wearable Tech Be the New Must-Have Accessory?

Posted on by Cheryl Falk

Will wearable tech be the new must have accessory?We’ve all done it at some point. Someone you know – a friend, relative, co-worker, whoever – buys the latest and greatest something or other and you absolutely have to have it as well. That something might be a car, a laptop, a phone or one of dozens of other possibilities. How much it costs and whether or not it’s really needed are practical issues that are often ignored in favor of the perceived need to have that latest and greatest whatever. Will that same kind of mindset apply to wearable tech? Will smart watches and smart glasses cement a place within mainstream society — or will they remain primarily within their niche markets?

Very few people remember a ring that could be worn which provided one’s pulse at the touch of a button, and you certainly don’t see anyone wearing one these days. Bluetooth headsets were, at one point, almost ubiquitous. Although they are still in use, they’re becoming increasingly rare. Why is that? The answer is more complicated than it at first appears and depends on several factors.

Factors to Consider

Marketing is the first factor. Technology evolves almost faster than marketing companies can keep up with it. Marketing is what places current tech in front of consumers. Today and tomorrow’s tech is what gets the marketing investment, not yesterday’s cool stuff. If a tech product hasn’t made a place for itself by the time its marketing campaign runs dry, it will likely fall by the wayside and be forgotten or replaced. Continue reading “Will Wearable Tech Be the New Must-Have Accessory?”

4 Super-Innovative Touchscreen GUI Applications

Posted on by Jason Williamson

Not too long ago, the touchscreen GUI was almost exclusively found in the realm of smartphones and tablets. Today, they are becoming increasingly common – and can be found in a vast number of cutting-edge applications.touchscreen gui applications

Makeover Counter

Many people buy beauty products at the store, get them home, and realize too late that they’ve purchased a shade that really doesn’t complement their skin tone. The introduction of interactive makeover counters using touchscreen GUIs eliminates this issue. Customers simply use the interface to capture images of their faces or hands and upload them.

Shoppers can then try out all the products on the store’s “virtual shelf” by using the touchscreen to search by product type and simply drag selected items onto uploaded images.

Touchscreen with Integrated Fingerprint Sensor

While the presence of a fingerprint sensor isn’t an entirely new concept, the model unveiled at the annual CeBIT trade fair in Hanover certainly is. This touchscreen GUI is capable not only of scanning and recognizing a user’s fingerprints in a fraction of a second, it can also read, recognize, scan, and sort the fingerprints of multiple users simultaneously. Continue reading “4 Super-Innovative Touchscreen GUI Applications”

The Future of Gesture-Based UI

Posted on by Cheryl Falk

gestural User interfaceGestural UI refers to using specific gestures, like scrolling, pinching, and tapping to operate an interface. It also refers to gesture recognition, including tipping, tilting, eye motion, and shaking. Gestural user interface and gesture recognition technology has evolved from very basic motions and applications to the complex, and it is now part of everyday life for a huge number of people. As this technology continues to evolve, the future possibilities are also incredibly exciting.

Smartphones and Tablets

Currently, smartphones and tablets are the most common place everyday consumers can find gestural UI. From Apple iPhones to the Samsung Galaxy, the vast majority of contemporary phones incorporate some elements of gesture UI, from swiping and scrolling, which is common to most phones and tablets, to orientation recognition.

Continue reading “The Future of Gesture-Based UI”

UI/UX News: September 2014

Posted on by Cheryl Falk

September 2014 Top UI/UX news stories from AltiaInteresting and noteworthy developments in the world of UX/UI brought to you by Altia.

Apple’s continued collection of tech patents
The biggest news for Apple fans this September was the release of the iPhone 6 and preview of the Apple Watch, but other impressive developments were occurring outside the limelight. Apple’s aggressive pursuit of patents continued, and the tech giant was granted U.S. Patent No. 8,839,150 for “Graphical objects that respond to touch or motion input”. So, what does that mean exactly?

Mikey Campbell tells us more in his recent article for AppleInsider, Apple’s patented physics-based iPad GUI translates file size into mass, supports intuitive gestures

Twitter strives for increased accessibility

Twitter’s UI has undergone a number of overhauls throughout the years, but many new users remain unsure of how to properly interact with the platform. The confusion is leading investors to question the long-term viability of the social media giant, and share prices are becoming increasingly volatile. In response, Twitter is putting fresh eyes on their evolving UI.

Sarah Frier and Brad Stone examine the efforts in their original article for Bloomberg Businessweek: Operation Twitter: User Interface Changes in the Works

Altia Taps Cadlog to Distribute GUI Development Toolkits in Italy and Spain

Altia Incorporated announced the signing of Cadlog Srl as a distributor this September, offering expanded GUI development and design solutions to a wider European audience.

“Europe is the home to some of the best design in the world, particularly in Italy and Spain,” states Mike Juran, Altia CEO. “That fact is becoming increasingly present in their product design – from automotive to home appliance. We’re seeing this innovation not just from global household names, but also from smaller companies and products. We’re looking forward to partnering with Cadlog to deliver Altia’s tools to GUI trailblazers across their region so that they can get the best embedded display into production.”

Read the Altia Press Release at PR.com to learn more.

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