A World Beyond Keyboards

On any given day, I might say, “Hey Google – where’s the nearest Dave and Busters?” I might ask “Alexa, reorder some more black socks.” I speak to the air and something comes back that I need or want. This is where we’re going. There will be keyboards, but we’ll interact in a lot of other ways, too.

I’m fascinated by the premise of this product. It’s something my son could create on the one hand. On the other, it points to a way that we’re not YET using computers and interfaces. The idea is that you use this eight-sided device as an Internet-of-Things (IoT) input to report on the various ways you use your time in a day. Switch it to “client work” and then switch it to “personal time,” and the chart will reflect those inputs.

We’ve been scratching around for more ways to interact beyond keyboards for a while. What’s an iPad but a way that we can look at inputs and outputs differently? That’s one level. Screens instead of keyboards.

But what gets really interesting is when we opt for real world physical items that facilitate an online world experience. I can ask Google Home, “Hey Google, how old is Gene Simmons?” and I don’t even have to pull out my phone. The answer comes back lickity split.

The idea that I could flip an eight-sided object around on a table and those physical motions will translate into reporting on my time usage into a spreadsheet. That’s so cool. NOT specifically because of that one interaction, but because it says, “Hey human. There are ways to move beyond what we’ve been doing all along to convey information.”

That. That last sentence. That’s where a lot of “this” is going.

What does it mean for your business? And how can you help your customers beyond screens and keyboards?

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