- Watch. It Listens. Today, we have listening devices strapped to our wrists that encourage us to run farther or eat better. Whether wearables or nearables that we strap to our bodies, the latest crop of WiFi devices now listen and respond. Whether it’s literally listening to voice commands or to the streams of data we create, they are learning from users and responding in real-time through intent-driven, increasingly effortless, “micromoments.”
- Service with Manners. With the surge of big data comes extraordinary responsibility. The most successful organizations appreciate that digital trust must be earned. “Privacy by design” is being embraced at companies like Microsoft that are embedding privacy standards into technology and product design from the start.
- B2We. Liquid expectations are spilling over into our work lives, as workers expect the same best-in-class consumer experiences to converge with the workplace. A new emphasis on employee experience (EX) design is reimagining workplace processes, structure and culture.
- Disappearing apps. The glut of single-use apps in our daily lives is disappearing into platforms as they become “atomized,” or super distributed, across platforms and third-party services. The next wave may not even require human interaction to activate.
- The Flattening of Privilege. Digital experiences have democratized luxury and elevated our standard of living — bringing luxury services like personal chauffeurs (like Lyft) and virtual assistants (like Facebook M) to the masses.
- Approachable Government Design. Governments are rethinking the citizen experience from a one-size-fits-all approach to finely-tuned services tailored to individual needs. Both the U.S. and U.K.’s digital government departments have even published meticulous design style guides.
- Healthy is the New Wealthy. Self-monitoring is no longer the domain of a small, tech-savvy customer segment. Newly empowered consumers are embracing health tech to measure their wellness. Even insurers like Kaiser Permanente and Aetna are opening their platforms to third parties to enable the building of Quantified Self services on top of their data connecting third-party wearables, apps and services.
- VR’s Dreams Come True. No longer a futuristic fantasy, virtual reality will make its mainstream debut in 2016 with the first consumer versions of Sony, Oculus, and Samsung products hitting the market. Designers will think beyond gaming and put VR technology to novel use in everything from scientific studies and virtual tourism, to immersive learning.
- Taking Things off the Thinking List. With rapid speed of innovation comes a never-ending cycle of decisions and choices. Services that can anticipate needs by suggesting options or automating low-maintenance decisions, such as Google Now, will be a welcome part of consumers’ lives.
- Design from Within. Corporations are embracing design thinking to catalyze change for their customers and their employees. By taking a human-centered approach to problem solving, these companies are using design as an agent for problem solving across the entire organization; but it’s an emphasis on design doing that will bring the promise to life.
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