The history of computing is often told as a history of hardware, narrating the journey from the room-sized mainframes of the 1950s to the smartphone in your pocket. However, ‘interaction’ lies at the heart of this story of technological adoption. We evolved from punch cards and command lines to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and touchscreens, removing a barrier with every single step. But for too long, this progress has been isolated from the natural world.
Today, we stand at the dawn of a new era. The omnipresence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and spatial computing is transforming the future of an interaction designer. A paradigm shift from Human-Centred Design to Life-Centred Design is redefining how interaction designers operate. Designing user-friendly apps no longer suffices. Interaction designers must become a vital bridge between technology, humanity and the living planet.
The Bridge Between Life and Technology
The interaction designer’s main job now is to keep life at the centre of the machine. As designers, we act as translators not just for what humans want, but for what the environment needs.
Our goal is to build technology that understands the real world, including nature. This requires moving beyond conventional ‘user personas’ to also consider ‘planetary personas’, prompting us to ask: What ecological cost does every digital action carry? By focusing on Life-Centred Design, we ensure technology integrates into the existing ecosystem rather than forcing the planet to fit into our digital lives. Ignoring the environmental impact of our choices is no longer an option; it’s an imperative.
Leaving Behind the Machine Age
There is a problem, though. While our technology is futuristic, our work practices often remain stuck in the past. We still use ‘Machine Age’ methods like linear assembly lines and factory thinking to build systems that should be alive and changing.
To keep pace with the evolving technological space and thrive in today’s dynamic workplaces, we must better define our priorities and identify what we need to learn. We must move from ‘engineering’ experiences to ‘gardening’ them. We must cultivate digital spaces that live in harmony with nature. Future designers will not just know software; they will understand systems and ethics. They must learn to design for AI with the same care they would give to a living forest, embracing the unknown rather than fearing it.
Nature as the Interface
This shift is clearest in ‘inter-faceless design’. The idea is simple: The best interface is one you don’t even see.
In the future, the park or the forest becomes the interface. With spatial computing, we can add digital layers to the world without covering it up. Imagine technology that helps you name a bird just by looking at it, keeping your eyes on nature instead of a screen. This is ‘ambient intelligence’. It implies a respect for the natural world. The interaction becomes so natural, using voice or gestures, that the tech fades away, leaving only the connection between life forms.
Protecting Our World
A huge part of this job is to protect our connection to the physical world. We call this Conscious Design.
Designers must be guardians. We must make sure technology doesn’t intrude on nature. Systems should know when to be quiet, such as silencing alerts in a forest or dimming screens at sunset, to respect the day’s rhythm. The aim is to stop us from being overwhelmed and to encourage us to consume responsibly. Technology should deepen our connection to the Earth, not cut it off.
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Equity and Inclusion for All Life
As technology becomes increasingly invisible, we must be cautious. In a life-centred view, fairness extends to nature, too. We call this ‘bio-inclusion’.
We must ensure that our ‘invisible’ interfaces don’t rely on visible pollution elsewhere. Redefining inclusion means recognising that accessibility is not just about us; it’s about those most vulnerable to climate change. Designers must ensure that the data feeding AI is not biased or destructive. The future demands more inclusivity, not just for those who are tech-savvy but also for those who are still trying to catch up. The exploitation of natural resources must also stop.
Embracing New Possibilities
Finally, we need to change the way we view or perceive technology. We often fear it because we look at it through the lens of old jobs and industrial habits.
Instead, we should see AI as a tool to help us regenerate the world. It can help us model climate solutions and use energy better. This will create new careers we can barely name yet, like ecological designers or environmental curators.
We need to let go of our old certainties and embrace the unknown. We are not just building apps anymore. We are designing the invisible threads that connect the human spirit to the living planet.
Views expressed by Prof Vijay Sekhon, Associate Professor and Lead, Interaction Design, School of Design, Anant National University
