After I left SXSW Interactive earlier this year I began the following “Top 5 Themes” post, but never completed it. As I reviewed what I wrote here at the end of the year, my reflections still holds up. So, enjoy this updated post that outlines what I see as the top 5 tech trends for the new year.
The 2016 SXSW Interactive conference once again delivered on its promise to bring together creatives from across the digital spectrum and around the world. Designers, marketers, futurists, innovators, programmers, makers, corporate brand reps, and thousands of others crammed into quality session after quality session throughout the week hearing from leaders from around the world on a broad range of relevant topics. At what other conference does the President drop in to talk about public service, the director of the latest Star Wars movie present on maintaining the human element in telling great stories, Anna Kendrick show up to promote her latest film, the creative director of Adidas come to talk about local sourcing and distribution, and a former monk direct thousands of people through the classic, Christian practice of silent meditation for 10 minutes? Here are my five takeaways – all comprised of two letters – from this year’s conference that I believe will set the course for the coming year.
VR
The idea of virtual reality is nothing new. What made it the darling innovation at SXSW Intactive 2016 is the miniaturization and democratization of VR through mobile devices. VR rendering on smart phones using Occulus rift, Google Daydream or other viewers make it possible for anyone to experience VR. All of the technologies essential to experience VR are now available on any smart phone. Add to this the fact that 360 degree cameras and the software for creating VR experiences are also becoming pervasive, and you have a new wave of media innovation. So look for a continued growth in VR in 2017.
UI
User interface design and user experience (UX) were key themes throughout SXSW. Nothing is more frustrating than the promise of a new device or platform being diminished by a poorly designed user interface. We have all used technologies where we experienced too many clicks, unnavigable menus, inputs that are difficult to use, and generally unintuitive navigation often punctuated by the refrain, “How do you use this thing?” The coming year promises a deeper focus on taking the devices and interfaces we have now and simply making them better. Better UI and UX happen when developers move beyond thinking about the form of a technology to its existential function. In fact, good UI/UX design comes from allowing the end-user function of the device/platform to determine its form. Good UI/UX is not about engineering efficiency but about the actual usefulness to the non-technical end user of a device/platform. Sometimes this endeavor moves designers beyond existing forms to create new metaphors that will shape the future of UI/UX design. One of the best sessions I attended at this year’s SXSW was actually a eulogy for drop-down menus: A highly used UI element in the early web that has outlived its usefulness over time. Look for everyone to clean up UI/UX on their platforms or devices in the next year.
AI
A key growth area in 2017 will be AI, or artificial intelligence. AI is more than just the robots of literary and cinematic imagination. Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa are AI: Devices that aren’t simply machines but also do some thinking for us. The ultimate example of AI on display at SXSW this year was Google Car. The self-driving vehicle is a technology that is well-tested and ready to deliver to market. Google Cars have traveled over a million miles in testing and have mastered every imaginable traffic scenario. So, in 2017 and beyond, look for AI-enabled functionality in an array of devices that are intended to anticipate or needs and sometimes act on our behalf.
ME
ME is not an acronym but simply means “me.” Whether a technology platform, product, brand or service, users/consumers are more engaged when any of these are adapted to become more personalized. The more personalized the experience – in many cases – the more likely a device, platform or service will be not only used, but loved. In the coming year (and beyond), companies/developers/designers who creatively bring users/consumers into their brand experience by making this engagement individuated and personal (without crossing the line into creepy) will outpace their competition. The key is discovering what personalization means for your industry and moving forward, quickly, before the competition beats you to it.
OK
The final takeaway from SXSW 2016 that certainly applies as we enter 2017 is that we are all OK. The session that was voted #1 by those who attended this year’s conference was a plenary session offered by Brene Brown, author, speaker and research professor at the University of Houston in the School of Social Work. She offered a very high-achieving, driven audience a word about vulnerability and picking up the pieces in the face of failure. In opposition to the “can do” and “perfection” culture that drives most industries, Brown offered research that demonstrated cultures that value vulnerability and humanity were stronger than environments where failure is not valued. Her word that we actually thrive in environments where we are allowed to fail and move forward was a good one for the culture of innovation at SXSW 2016 and for us all as we enter the uncertain waters of 2017.
In Sum
There is nothing genuinely revolutionary in this list, which is different from past SXSW Interactive experiences. In past years I’ve raved about where I see the leading edge of the digital future carrying us. This year was much more subdued on this front. The overall tone was less about innovation and more about learning to navigate the terrain innovators created through wave after wave of disruption. I believe this is the terrain we will traverse in 2017: Taking what we have created and adapting it better to the uses that we find most valuable. For more in-depth analysis of this year’s SXSW Interactive and trajectories for technology and marketing for 2017, see my other posts.