User experience is advancing to the next level, according to a Forrester Research report entitled “The 10 Most Important Technology Trends In Business Application Architecture Today,” by analysts Jost Hoppermann, Paul D. Hamerman and George Lawrie. The report outlines 10 technology trends that will reshape the way that business application delivery teams design, develop and select applications.
The report said vendors are delivering new user experiences “with rich graphical features that embed analytics, decision support, offers, and direct customer interactions,” and that the focus in user experience is moving “from data capture to business outcomes, extending application reach to a more diverse array of user roles.”
In the future, the report predicts that business apps will evolve to “resemble consumer experiences, embracing touch from mobile, collaboration from social networks, and motion sensing from gaming.” For example, the report says Lithuanian software company Etronika already offers a Microsoft Kinect-based user interface for banking software.
The report describes how apps will increase their use of motion and 3D technologies from gaming platforms, along with video and rule-based avatars. The report gave an example in Banco Bradesco, one of Brazil’s largest banks. They created Bradesco Next, a prototype branch that features robot guides, digital avatars, remote consultants, large-screen conference tables, and gesture-based interaction.
