New User Interface

New UI

Dialogue-based user interfaces

Dialogue-based user interfaces use the human voice to give commands to a
computer system. 

An example of its use is in some luxury modern cars, where
voice activation is used to control devices such as the in-car entertainment
system or satellite navigation system. 

By speaking certain commends, such as
‘Hey BMW, drive me to the nearest airport’, the system allows natural speech to
enable the driver to intuitively interact with the car. The satellite navigation
system will automatically direct the driver to their chosen destination (in this
case, the nearest airport). 

This type of interface could also be used in the
home; by using voice commands, it is possible to switch on/off lights, operate
electronic equipment and so on. 

In recent years, devices such as Amazon Alexa,
Google Now, Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana have all been developed to interact
with a human by recognising verbal commands. These devices act as a personal
assistant.

Gesture-based interfaces

Gesture-based interfaces rely on human interaction by the moving of hands,

head or even the feet. Gesture recognition allows humans to interface with a

computer in a more natural fashion without the need for any mechanical devices.

This type of interface uses techniques known as computer vision and image

processing. For example, using our car example again, the following gestures can

be used to carry out certain functions:

» rotating a finger clockwise near the radio will increase the sound volume

(rotating the finger anti-clockwise will reduce the sound volume)

» opening the thumb and next finger will change the track being listened to (for

example, in a playlist)

» moving the foot under the rear bumper of the car automatically opens the

boot lid

» moving a hand near a window switch automatically opens a window.

There are many other examples. Either a sensor or a camera is used to pick up the

gesture and a signal is sent to an on-board computer to carry out the required

action. It eliminates the need for an array of buttons and dials on the dashboard.

The table below summarises the main advantages and disadvantages of dialogue-based

and gesture-based interfaces: