This new method of searching for information is predictive in nature which is on some level indicative of a loss of user control; results based on prediction put the power of selection into the hands of the user interface provider and not the user. The fact that Google selects search results before you have even finished typing (not to mention eliminates the finality of pushing the search button yourself) blurs the boundaries between user and interface in terms of who is in command. For a search engine this is harmless but as our insatiable need for speed and real-time activity barrels forward into the future, the concept of prediction will play a larger and larger role if interface designs continue to trend towards prophetic real-time features. How will this affect user attitudes and trends?  Will users give up autonomy in favor of speed?  Only time can answer these queries, but a good prediction is that whatever the future holds for real-time web capacities, Google will likely be on the cutting edge.

Such a move boosts the usability of the software application even before it has started running. Being easier to spot (granted for mere milliseconds less) in an interface design and thus faster to open adheres to Steve Krug’s First Law of Usability: don’t make me think. Research shows that the brain makes decisions in just a 20th of a second of viewing a webpage. The program itself has a few surprise interface design choices. First among these is the sidebar. Up until now icons each had different colors that differentiated them on the interface design. Now it’s all a bland grey that blends with the background, which in turn requires users to think a little longer. Reminds me of that Joni Mitchell song:

“Don’t it always seem to go.

But you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”

The chief radical interface design choice in the new iteration of iTunes is with the close/minimize/zoom buttons. Thankfully they remain color-coded but they now run vertically down on the top left of the program’s interface design. This goes against the virtually omnipresent convention of using the horizontal axis; top-left on the Mac and top-right on PC. Following conventions is a cornerstone of good usability. Considering Apple’s reputation for imposing its human interface design guidelines on developers, these choices are curiously interesting. Although the orientation can be changed, this is beyond many users, as they would need to enter a hidden terminal command.

If the media and advertising industry is digitalizing itself then obviously interface design concepts like usability, user experience design etc. will play a central role in the implementation of new digital business practices.  Companies will need online advertising and commerce to be as efficient as possible while maintaining an element of authenticity and desirability known from the traditional print environment.  Thus, the market for those specializing in UX and usability design will be wide open and full of opportunity.  This will likely lead to innovations in the UX and usability design fields as the cutthroat world of digital business will force designers to gain the competitive edge not just in creativity and productivity as usual, but also in measurable impact, such as online conversion rates.  Hence one may well argue that a growing digital media industry could mean a creative renaissance for the usability and UX industry as well.

After enduring the hardships of the global economic crisis of 2008, media and advertising companies seem once again optimistic about the future of media, communication, and sales. According to a survey from Booz & Company, however, the global financial crisis is not the main contributing factor to the recent shakeup in the media and advertising industry.  The digital revolution and new consumer habits have forced media companies to reevaluate the way they do business (ibusiness.de “Medienbranche: Ein Drittel des Umsatzes 2015 mit Digitalen Medien”).  70 percent of respondents in the media and advertising industry consider the development of new business and distribution models to be paramount to future success and 50 percent claim that investing in new digital business models is of the highest priority (Booz & Company). This means that companies will be looking for ways to transition from print to digital media, as the Booz & Company survey indicated that 40 percent of respondents feel that print media is negatively affecting their company (particularly financially).  In fact, Booz & Company predict that by the year 2015, one third of sales in the media and advertising industry will be generated by the digital revolution.

The toolbar, with big clearly marked buttons, itself is found at the top of the interface design below the Address Field but above the Tab bars. It is itself distinct in the same red and white colors of the Austrian flag. The colors also add to the legibility of the text. The toolbar has its own search bar on the left of the interface design unlike the top right customary search bar of the browser itself. This, I think, is a good touch because it serves to further distinguish it as not being the same as full internet search but rather specific. Clicking on a service in the toolbar automatically launches it in a new tab leaving your hitherto browsing unaffected. The challenge now for the Austrian government is to work on incorporating their services into the interface designs of other browsers that work with different operating systems. Hopefully other governments will be close by behind them.

Expert Users are Longtime Users

So what is the main benefit of obtaining user experience feedback from experts?  The fact is that at one point, everyone was an amateur— even the experts. Amateur users grow into expert users, just as your interface design matures over time.  That is why expert users play such a vital role in usability testing new developments for extant interface designs. Experts are longtime site users, users who have shown commitment to the evolution of your website, users who have buttressed your interface design’s success by sticking with it over the long haul. If you are running an eCommerce site you want to know what makes it most usable to your most loyal customers—the expert users. You want to keep their business as returning customer often make up a considerable portion of business for an e-commerce website. So increasing your interface design’s usability for expert users will make your site sustainable because you will be appeasing a core group of users who keep your website relevant and your business running.