Like most folks out there, I spent many years not understanding what UX (User eXperience) was and, more importantly, what the difference between UI (User Interface) and UX was. Over time I came to realize that what was being commonly delivered as a UI in the AV world did not translate to good customer experience. […]

If you’re a movie fan, you’re well aware of the ongoing conflict often portrayed between humans and machines in a dystopian future. Think “West World,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Terminator,” “I, Robot” and “The Matrix.” I can’t help but wonder if these movies are so popular because they reflect our own personal experiences of the […]

For the past several years in higher education, the active learning classroom has grown in popularity. With these active learning classrooms comes an increase in technology. Many of the classrooms have multiple displays and multiple ways of getting your content onto those displays. These may consist of flat panels, projectors and interactive whiteboards. The expectation […]

Visix has just debuted a new user interface design for both Touch and Connect room signs. The new Touch UI offers more customization options than any competitive product currently available, according to Visix. Touch room signs are driven by Visix’s AxisTV Signage Suite software and support calendar display and bidirectional booking with Exchange and Office […]

Many science-fictional promises of the “world of the future” never have and perhaps never will come to pass. We don’t have our flying cars, and perhaps never will. We don’t have a robot maid. We aren’t eating Soylent Green. (OK, that one might not be a great loss). What about the meeting room of the […]

Utelogy’s latest software release includes something called the Utelogy Visual Framework (UVF), which allows programmers, end-users or integrators to build or restyle their user interface. The UVF includes a component reference guide, that allows users to take standard, ‘out of the box’ components and use them or with the Component API and Theming Guide, developers […]

In my day job, I answer a lot of people’s questions about audiovisual and virtual reality technology. In fact, lately, that’s really all I seem to be doing. And to find those answers quickly, especially when it comes to determining things like part numbers and dimensions, I turn to the source that most people use: […]

Some categorize the quality of a user experience as a hierarchy, like this one: An accessible user interface does its job. You can access and interact with the interface. A usable interface is one which can be manipulated to achieve a desired result. This doesn’t mean that the result is something of particular value to […]

I still remember my first concerns about user engagement with the technology we provide. It was over a decade ago; we were fitting out four conference rooms per floor over about a dozen floors. Video teleconferencing in two, local presentation in the other. Pack up, head for the elevator, repeat. It was one of my […]

Do you remember the 2002 movie by Steven Spielberg, “Minority Report?”  This futuristic film featured Tom Cruise as the main character, PreCrime Captain John Anderton, who is the subject of a murder prediction based upon visions of the “Precogs.”  And since, in the movie, the PreCrime police department has the authority to imprison would-be murderers, […]

URC announces the introduction of two new user interfaces for the Total Control system aimed at the custom installation channel. The TDC-7100 Tabletop Controller and TKP-7600 In-Wall Touchscreen feature a seven-inch color touchscreen for control of home entertainment and smart home products. With a built-in camera, microphone and speaker, they feature a new intercom with […]

With the Internet of Things (IoT) encroaching further and further into the lives of the masses on a daily basis, one key element is becoming more important than ever — encounterability and controllability. This involves not only the macro scale of energy sources to power skyscrapers and corporate campuses, food and water resource management and […]

By Michael Frendo Executive Vice President of Worldwide Engineering, Polycom One of my personal pet peeves is the way the tech industry defines “user experience.” If you listen closely, you’ll notice many identify that experience as only what is seen on screen. We often hear a device or application has a “terrible UI” or that […]

A few weeks ago, I had the mortifying and frustrating experience of missing a flight that I was very, very early for. How does one go about missing a flight after sitting for a few hours in the terminal? It turns out that it’s a relatively easy process. Step One: Arrive early, then have your […]

By Jeremy Boyd, CTS Systems Design Consultant, AVI Systems Apple is not the end-all-be-all in the electronics space, but Apple’s products are often indicators of where we are headed. The iPod was an indicator of how we would start to consume music and the iPhone was the catalyst for many of us to look at […]

I imagine the engineers and R&D teams working diligently for months, years even, on new products to roll out at the next big trade show. They’ve innovated, broken through with new levels of sophistication and — best of all — it’s going to allow for increased margins! It’s a win — until… The first day […]

By Phil Wright DisplayDaily New product announcements and developments to be exhibited at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (International CES, Las Vegas, Jan. 7-10, 2014) may point the way to novel and improved consumer product user interface designs and implementations. As CES 2014 unfolds, I will be following user interface advancements and how they interact […]