Voice, AR, VR: Digital Interfaces of the Future

Rohan Mahajan
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read

For the last 20 years, the most common digital interfaces have been pretty similar: tablets, phones, laptops, and televisions. Although phones were smaller and more portable than laptops, the underlying interface involved touch. In fact, the interface for all digital interfaces required our hands. The output of these interfaces were primarily through sound or visual display. Voice, augmented reality, and virtual reality offer new experiences compared to conventional digital interfaces.

Voice can be used as an output and input mechanism. It can only be used to transmit words. Voice does not require a line of sight and allows users to communicate without having to move and use their hands. As an output mechanism, voice is inherently transient. Screens can keep displaying images but a word disappears once it is said. Thus, users can more easily keep track of state using other digital interfaces. Furthermore, a digital screen is more efficient than voice as rich media types such as images can be shown and people can read faster than they can listen.

Voice has started to become an input mechanism with tools such as Siri and Echo. Although voice as an output interface can be constrained to be private through headphones, voice as an input interfaceis public to the local geographical area. In contrast to output mechanisms, the throughput of voice is significantly higher than input as people can talk faster than they can type. Voice is inherently a live medium. One can’t easily preview, proofread, and make small edits before hitting send.

AR/VR provide provide new interesting input/output mechanisms. First, instead of having to use hands, people can move their heads and eyes. This interface reflects how people naturally change what they are viewing. Furthermore, AR/VR have digital screens but they are successful in actually making the world believe that the digital exists.

VR allows for instant teleportation to any real world place or any place that can be digitally created. Because of this instant teleportation, VR will be fundamentally social because it will allow anyone to be with you instantaneously.

AR allows for the overlay of any digital object to the real world. AR is strictly a harder challenge as it does not just create a digital world but has to mount that digital world on the physical world. Although technologically more difficult, mass adoption and constant usage of AR will precede VR because of social reasons. Constantly being in VR will be a societal taboo while wearing AR devices will be considered cool.

In conclusion, conventional digital interfaces are pretty limited. Voice offers intriguing properties as both an input and output mechanism. AR/VR offer totally transcendent experiences by making the digital seem real.

Rohan Mahajan

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Software Engineer. BS/MS from MIT EECS. rohanmahajan1993@gmail.com https://twitter.com/rohanmahajanmit