Firm foundation in the main hci principles, the book provides a working

Figure 9.1 Keyboard-input command-oriented interface compared to the WIMP- and GUI-based 
interfaces (1980–1990).

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F U T U R E O F H C I
On the other hand, in terms of hardware, we expect that the 
mobile and ubiquitous platforms will accelerate and further drive the 
integration of embedded computers, sensors, and sensor networks 
into everyday objects (as is the goal of the Internet of Things
*
). Touch 
technology is the main interaction mode for mobile and embedded/
ubiquitous computers and devices, and this technology will become 
more refined as it evolves to accommodate multitouch, proximity 
touch (hovering), and touch-haptic feedback.
The interaction styles of the mobile/embedded vs. natural/realistic/
immersive interfaces can be understood in terms of people’s natural 
dichotomous desires: one for simple and fast operations in a dynamic 
environment and the other for a rich and experiential interaction in a 
more stable, relaxed environment. These two desires are in tune with 
the lifestyle in the coming ages as we become more affluent and cul-
turally richer. Virtual and mixed reality, multimodal interfaces are in 
the forefront of the experiential interaction technologies.
Finally, as we have indicated in Chapter 8, in pursuit of the mystical 
UX, more interfaces are becoming affective, calling out to our emo-
tional side. It is difficult to define what constitutes an affective interface. 
It could be something as simple as an emphasis on the aesthetics. It 
could mean personalization and adaptation catering to the user’s unique 
and changing tastes and needs. However, the latter still remains a tech-
nological challenge, as it requires intelligent sensing and robust recog-
nition of contexts, user emotions, and subtle intent—a very difficult 
task even for humans themselves. However, the machine–intelligence 
technology continues to make almost unimaginable leaps, as demon-
strated by the recent IBM Watson computer that has beaten a human 
champion in the quiz-show contest Jeopardy [1]. In the following sec-
tions, we take a closer look at these promising HCI technologies, many 
of which are in an active stage of research (Figure 9.2).