HCI Lecture HW4

The future of computing.

1/ The shape of smartphones :

-> Discuss the evolution of shape of smartphones. Why did they change their shape and what do you think will be the next step in the transformation. Explain why you think this could be the case.

Before discussing smartphones, I would like to quickly recap the evolution of the mobile phone.

The first ever portable phone was created in 1983 (picture on the left of the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X) but it was very expensive (4000$) and very big. As opposed to mobile phones now, users couldn't simply put them in their pockets.

Then, progressively, the mobile phone became more and more accessible to everyone and was getting smaller in size.

In 2007, the first smartphone was commercialised : swiping and scrolling replaced the traditional button method of input (picture of the 1st IPhone on the right).

Smartphones quickly became a must because of all the features that they offered (voice recognition, video streaming, web surfing, listening to music...). It was like having a small computer in your pocket.

With these technical evolutions, also came a size evolution. In fact, the IPhone 7's size for example was 57% larger than the first generation IPhone. This could be explained by the fact that people were using more and more their devices for video streaming and video calling than before.

Apple also got rid of the only button at the bottom center as well as the top part of the IPhone to have the biggest screen possible. This can be explained by the fact that the face recognition tech was integrated and the button was no longer needed, so they used all of the space available to make a bigger screen.

But, in my opinion, the size of smartphones got a little bit out of hand. They became too big that they're getting too hard to hold or use, and some don't even fit in our pockets anymore.

Apart from the size of smartphones, let's talk a little bit about their shape.

As you might have noticed, all of the smartphones are rectangular. I think that is mainly because it's the most convenient shape to hold, and the screen (which is the most important part) is also more convenient to display information on if it's in a rectangular shape rather than a triangular or circular one.

Also, all of the components used such as the battery, the motherboard etc fit well in this design. So, changing the shape means that they'll have to redesign all of the components which will cost a lot a money for manufacturers.

As for the evolution of smartphones in the future, we might be leaning towards more flexible smartphones.

As I said earlier, bigger screens are obviously on demand and very convenient to use for videos or games for example, but they're less convenient to hold or to use for basic tasks such as making calls. They're slowly turning into tablets rather than phones.

One solution to this problem could be using a flexible material to make foldable smartphones.

Whenever the user wants to check his emails or send a message for example, he'd only need to use one screen out of the two. But, in case he needs a larger one for other tasks he'd only have to unfold his screen. This technology seems to be very practical but I don't know about the weight of the device nor its price.

Samsung actually recently started commercialising them, but for some reason they remain less popular than regular smartphones. Maybe it's the price (around 2000€), or people aren't ready yet to move on to the next generation of smartphones, or maybe they simply don't need this much technology for now.

Other evolutions could be the integration of a small projective display to project the screen on a surface or the use of a head-mounted display (such as glasses) connected to the smartphone. But these two options seem to be less promising and less appreciated by consumers.

2/Read computer of the 21st century :

->Read Mark Weiser's paper and discuss the following question: Are we already living in a world of ubiquitous computing ? What already happened that we need for this vision and what needs to happen that we get more towards ubiquitous computing ?

In my opinion, we are already living in a world of ubiquitous computing. As Mark Weiser mentions, we might not always see the devices nor pay attention to them but we do use them on a daily basis.

Some basic elements such as TVs, watches or even earphones are nowadays connected to Internet. Connected watches are becoming popular with all of the functionalities that they offer (health information, messages...). Smart TVs are also more and more present in people's homes since they allow them to have access to multiple applications such as Netflix and Youtube or the ability to Chromecast/Airplay from their devices. Earphones are also changing with the invention of Earpods that allow people to wirelessly connect their phones or tablets although it was just a basic and simple accessory.

There are plenty of examples of non connected devices that are changing and evolving, whether at home or not. Self driving cars are becoming the new hype nowadays and in a couple of years practically everyone will have one.

And finally, when I first arrived in my new house, I noticed that my window had a connected remote with multiple options for closing it or opening it. This might not be necessary, as opposed to having a phone or a computer, but smart homes are also becoming more and more popular.

So, Mark Weiser did predict that we would live in a world surrounded by screens and devices. And these devices come in many sizes and shapes as we can see from the previous examples.

Plus, they are all connected to the same network or cloud, allowing the user to have access to practically any kind of information from any device. And the most important feature is in my opinion the fact that they can adapt to the environment of the user by using facial and vocal recognition as well as the localisation for example. So, each of us can privilege from a unique experience depending on our surrounding.

Mark Weiser also tackles a very important point about the dangers of ubiquitous computing which is privacy. Since everything about the users is available online, whether its their personal data, their passwords, their search history etc. Companies can target people based on the data that they collect about them, either to persuade them into buy things (Practically all of the ads that we see online are chosen based on the information collected about the user) or to affect their opinion on a topic for example (Facebook was denounced of using personal data to affect the presidential elections in the US).

But before the Facebook scandal, people weren't aware of how much information was collected about them and especially with the use of Cookies online. These events forced companies to be more transparent about the subject and all of their privacy policies were changed.

This warning for example was never present before while visiting a website online but now it became a necessity.

Ubiquitous computing is indeed very much present nowadays but it will definitely evolve towards something even more immersive. Although the fact that interactions with people from all around the world have been made possible with a simple click, computing also isolates us from the people around us. Indeed, I've noticed that people are more and more on their screens at gathering, while with family members and friends or at restaurants for example rather enjoying the moment with the people around them.

Maybe, in the future, Mixed Reality or the use of holograms for example will enable users to have contact with both their surrounding environment as well as people that are far away. We might not even be able to distinguish the virtual environment from the real one with future apps.

3/Most downloaded application in the future MR App Store :

->People often like to discuss "Killer Apps" for Mixed Reality. However, this implies that there will be one specific application that makes me want to buy an MR HMD. Instead, try to think about the following : Imagine a future where MR HMDs are as ubiquitous as smartphone. Think about the future Appstore Sketch and present three applications that you think will be among the most downloaded. Explain why you think this might be the case ? (Example: Mixed Reality Text Translation)

1/Online school:

We are living in a time where tele working is essential, and though most people have access to internet through their devices, I've noticed that interactions between students and teachers wasn't nearly as good as a real face to face one.

I think that the next step in online education would definitely include mixed reality. Students and teachers would be able to work as if they were in a classroom together. Instead of writing message on the chat that is read by the teacher a few minutes later, being distracted by something else on the laptop, or having trouble displaying the lectures. A mixed reality app could create an environment in which the users would interact in a more natural way thus making the students feel less overwhelmed by online courses and where the teachers could be aware of how the course is being assimilated.

Apart from basic courses, for subjects such as chemistry for example, in which it's important to have experiments, mixed reality could allow students to be able to perform the experiments remotely in a safe and controlled environment.

2/Audio and visual guide tour:

Mixed reality could also be used as a cultural tool. When visiting a famous monument or a museum for example, you could simply use an app that would give you all the information you need about the place or the piece of art. You could control the quantity of information that you'd like to get depending on the time that you have or you could even display images and videos of the artist or site being built for example.

This would be a great way to interact with the cultural monuments and the art around us without having to look and search on the internet for hours to find the most accurate information and details.

Instead of using a phone or a simple audio guide the user would be able to time-travel and learn more about the masterpieces in an immersive way.

2/Healthcare education:

When it comes to healthcare, mixed reality technologies have many potential applications. For example, it can be used to educate and train medical students, whether as a tool to represent the human body in 3D while displaying information when interacting with the model or as a tool for over-the shoulder surgeries in which students can be guided by experts remotely.

Another idea would be to have a mixed reality application in which a person could fight his or her phobia. The user could choose the phobia that they would like to overcome and then progress through different levels of intensity until they eventually get over it.