Natural User Interface, or NUI, is one of the favourite flavours du jour in certain interaction design and user experience circles. On the one hand, the term signals a change from the Graphical User Interface, or GUI, that has been prevalent since the early 1980s. In many ways, that is good. Not that the GUI is going to go away (any more than the QWERTY keyboard, I predict). But progress does, as... [read more]

Natural User Interface, or NUI, is one of the favourite flavours du jour in certain interaction design and user experience circles. On the one hand, the term signals a change from the Graphical User Interface, or GUI, that has been prevalent since the early 1980s. In many ways, that is good. Not that the GUI is going to go away (any more than the QWERTY keyboard, I predict). But progress does, as they say, progress. And just because there was a great idea that took hold, does not mean that that is all that there is.

But beyond the name, what is this new thing? As far as I can see, the answer depends on who you ask. Ask enough people, and you will see that it can mean anything - which means, by the way, that it might mean nothing. I don’t view it that way. Yes, there are a lot of diverse views. But that also means that there is a lot of diverse conversations accompanying them, and I see that as healthy. Complacency is rarely a worthy aspiration for design. But out of the collective conversations one would hope that there is some convergence - which might be another term for insight or growth.

In my discussion, I take my cue from nature itself, and the observation that almost anything that we see above the surface is supported by its roots. As it is in art, music, painting, and other cultural phenomena, so is it in interaction design: the future began long ago, and understanding those past futures is critical to understanding future roots.

As for understanding NUI, it is simple – as simple as nature itself. And as complex. And as important. Which is why it is worthy of discussion.

Here are the details:

6:30 - 7 pm Social and light refreshments

7 - 7:15 pm Announcements and updates

7:15 - 8:15 pm Presentation

8:15 - 8:30 Q&A