ISTA 2016 - Keynote: Minding the Gap | Evolution, Technology and Innovation by Kevin Richardson

Humans evolve slowly. Anthropologists estimate that the modern human brain has developed over the course of the last 100,000 years (give or take a century). Technology (think carved bones and pointed sticks) has been evolving right along with us. Technological complexity in digital form, however, is new but its recent exponential growth has enabled it to quickly surpass our cognitive capabilities. Consider the invention of the transistor in 1947 and the vast array of complex technology that followed. Our tech is now so intricate, its ability to process information so great, that our perceptual and cognitive abilities pale in comparison. In fact, for the past 69 years we have been struggling to make sense of, keep pace with, and not get left behind by technological systems in which we are the limiting factor. Given the rate of human evolution we never stood a chance. Historically, we have attempted to bridge the gap between technological complexity and human capabilities by forcing people to adapt to the tech. Barring evolutionary leaps or limitless training budgets, this has been problematic. Alternatively, we can adapt the tech to us, such that the design exploits our native abilities. This is the raison d’être of User Experience. But how is UX “minding the gap”? I will argue that traditional UX methods result in marginal improvements and do not bridge the gap in any substantial way. To keep pace with technological evolution, we must adopt a systematic process of innovation. My presentation will describe this process and demonstrate how it is our only hope to create a future in which humans partner with technology rather than watch longingly as it disappears over the horizon…without us.