From a commerce perspective, there is not much technology out there which is truly inspiring. “Touch” is great, but “human touch” would be far better.
How would it be if you could feel materials online? If we had interfaces which surpassed our sense of sight and gave us a tactile shopping experience? With such an interface, which would focus more on human needs rather than what technology offers (or limits) us, we might be able to see e-commerce move beyond the ubiquitous “pictures under glass”.
This week, Tactus Technology raised $6 million to make tactile touchscreens:
"The interface enables buttons to morph out of the surface of an electronic device. The physical buttons rise from the surface on demand, as needed, and then recede back into the screen, leaving a flat, transparent surface when gone.It works by using a “tactile layer,” which can be integrated with touchscreen devices such as smartphones, tablets, personal navigation system and gaming devices. The layer replaces the cover glass of the touchscreen and is about the same thickness of the layer it replaces."
Surely this isn’t yet the Holy Grail, but in all respects a good start.
All who find this topic interesting, would find "A Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design" a great read. Thanks to Daniel from 47Nord for the tip!
Originally posted in German by Jochen Krisch, adapted for excitingcommerce.com by Jason Soo.
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