Human-machine interface: simpler, more reassuring, and more user-friendly
If there is one advance that has made a major contribution to the digital transformation of companies in recent years, it is the phenomenal evolution of the human-machine interface. As everyone knows, this field encompasses the environment that enables dialogue between humans and the digital world. Since the ancient DOS commands that accompanied our youth, the leap forward has been spectacular. The objective, partly defined by Steve Jobs, is that the user should be able to do without the instruction manual. They must be able to use the machine right after unpacking it, in the most intuitive way possible.
Through this challenge, one touches three seemingly distinct worlds: computing, graphic design, and user experience. What has changed at lightning speed in recent times is that exactly the same issues arise regardless of the target audience; whether one is working on a mobile phone interface or a dental drill interface, the same questions apply and the same objective holds: one must succeed in creating software that is simple, reassuring, and user-friendly to use. The interface must inspire confidence in the end user. They must feel guided. The three-click rule must be respected: the user must accomplish an action in as little time as possible while navigating the menu easily. This imperative applies to all applications, whether a game or a machine tool.
Updates
Taking the user into account is pushed to its extreme in the fact that applications are now becoming adaptive.
A second rule involves rolling out updates ever more frequently — but unlike the old updates, which were released at the developer's discretion, it is now the users who are the primary drivers. Developers can analyse information about how an application is being used and improve its features accordingly. It is worth noting that all of this now happens without us even noticing. Who still remembers the days when we received update CDs? Taking the user into account is pushed to its extreme in the fact that applications are now becoming adaptive: everyone can personalise a programme according to their own needs.
One can expect further considerable advances in the years ahead in the field of human-machine interfaces, particularly thanks to the spectacular progress in data analysis, artificial intelligence, and interface technologies (haptics, voice recognition, motion detection…). Companies participating in this transformation must demonstrate unwavering interdisciplinarity. Straddling the worlds of services and industry, they are compelled to innovate continuously if they want to compete in this fiercely competitive market.
