Virtual reality, on the other hand, exists in a world all on its own, constructing a new reality from scratch that may appear just like ours, or may be designed to transport users elsewhere. The gaming industry has adopted virtual reality with zeal, developing VR headsets for immersive FPS and other first-person character experiences, like driving, golfing, and other action-heavy activities. Augmented reality design principles may still find their way into VR environments, in the form of interactive floating buttons on game menus.
But can VR make its own mark on UI design too? Well, potentially. User interfaces that are developed for VR experiences can be used as inspiration when developing UI for other industries too. The alternative environment and design considerations for VR can inspire UI designers to think in different ways, and therein lies the secret recipe for innovation, after all. At any rate, it’ll definitely be interesting to see just what impact that both VR and AR hold on UI in the near future.
Voice user interfaces
Another highly exciting avenue of exploration for UI designers is the incorporation of voice-based user interfaces. These are basically user interfaces that incorporate voice recognition and smart assistant technologies in order to provide a UI that’s powered by AI.
The development of voice user interfaces (also often referred to as VUI) has predominantly been spearheaded for accessibility purposes, in order to provide user interfaces that can easily be used by older users, individuals with limited mobility, visual impairments, or other factors that may restrict their ability to interact with all aspects of a multidimensional UI. It’s likely that we’ll see VUI in spaces like hospitals or aged care facilities in the near future, as well as in primary, secondary, and tertiary classroom spaces.
