I’m only bringing this up because, well, it’s impossible to overlook. I received a text message from my mom and it was as follows:
“Do you have an ipad? I think I want to get one.”
This was alarming and amazing for a couple of reasons that I think many other people are experiencing right now. I had the joy of experiencing firsthand how a mom completely scared of a mobile phone and HD TV can suddenly be technologically confident enough to consider buying a new tech device such as an iPad. She picked it up, and instantly, instantly was attached. I watched her immerse herself, a smile broadening on her face with each passing moment. She discovered that those innate human gestures we have confusingly trained to work on opposite planes were now functioning as per nature. She wanted the next page, so she made a sweeping gesture and the page flung over to reveal another colorful page of options. She didn’t “click” to select, she pointed at it with her finger, and with a slight nudge of flesh to screen the action took place. It finally made sense to the less technical mind. And though she has always loved the iPhone, something about the size of the screen, and accuracy required with such small icons had become a barrier to entry.
The world of gestural interaction is as old as anything, but the iPad is the first tablet to marry such intuitive UI with a device that can support the experience needed for “my mom.” the large unquestionable gestures that she exhibited reminded me of John Underkoffler and his recent TED talk about the future of UI. He is known for creating the futuristic Minority Report interface, which he believes is not too far away. His gestures seemed too complex for me, let alone my mom putting on his wired gloves and being able to play. I can say that his view of the “one person, one mouse, one screen” world as old fashioned was refreshing to hear. I truly believe that with a world based in “the clouds” the computer experience should be more evenly shared with me being able to drop a video on my sister’s screen, and then quickly troubleshoot my mom’s computer, while they both circle their favorite photos on my screen. It’s coming.
