The customer experience area known as User Experience is about to get a technological booster injection, the likes of which we have not seen since the tablet was introduced. As users we currently are literally connected to our devices. We literally have to touch them in some form or fashion to work them. 3D motion control will allow us to control our devices without touching them… there are no wires connected to electrodes, there is no wii device to hold onto. We are simply waving our bare hands in front of the screen – not having microns above the screen but freely gesticulating in front of the screen. For a demo, click here.
Leap Motion is the brand. Their device is laid flat on the desk in front of the computer and it projects an invisible 3D control space of about 4 cubic feet. It is within this large space that you’re freely gesticulating to control the computer. Their technology is available now and it costs in the $75 (£50) range. It seems that apps developers will be a likely early adopter in the market. Having said that, one of my friends has ordered one…just because! I am interested to see what she uses it for at this stage but it does give a signal as to the power of 3D Motion control to draw paying customers. Once apps are developed, that pull among consumers will grow exponentially.
This will be revolutionary in User and customer experience. Imagine being able to shop in a virtual retail environment that is just like a shop. You could shop and pull clothes of the shelf or rack to see what they look like. Grocery shopping could be more natural. This would allow for more serendipitous finds in the way that occurs in a real store. This would allow more of the emotional experience to come into play. With the way many online shops are organised, the shopper must have categorised their desired item to be able to search for it. With 3D motion control, a virtual store could look like a real store and the customer can interact in more or less a normal way. If something catches your eye, you can go over, take it off the shelf and manipulate it in a 3D sense without having to click to another screen. Of course, this 3D motion shopping experience would be augmented so you have all of the detailed information you might not have in the actual store experience.
The bottom line is if you are into user or customer experience, you should at least be aware of Leap Motion and 3D Motion control. If I were writing our last book (Customer Experience: Future Trends and Insights) today, I would surely include this development as an enabling game changer of the three big CX trends – social media, experience psychology and neuro- experience. Keep your eye on this space.
