Why the foundation is cracking

The construction industry has long been the backbone of economic growth, but it now finds itself at a crossroads. External pressures like economic uncertainty, regulatory shifts, and workforce shortages are forcing companies to adapt or risk falling behind. Unlike previous downturns, today’s challenges are structural, requiring long-term strategic solutions rather than short-term fixes.

• Economic uncertainty and inflation have driven up material costs and project financing expenses, putting significant strain on contractors. High interest rates make borrowing more expensive, limiting investment in new projects and slowing industry growth.
• At the same time, changing and often vague regulations complicate project execution. New sustainability and safety standards require companies to adapt, but unclear guidelines create confusion and slow down compliance efforts.
• Perhaps the most pressing issue is the shortage of skilled labor. The European Construction Industry Federation already reported in 2023 that Belgium has 22,000 unfilled construction jobs, Germany 52,000, and the Netherlands 27,000. With an aging workforce and upcoming retirements, the industry faces a critical skills gap.

Despite these difficulties, the industry has an opportunity to turn adversity into progress. Digital innovation can help businesses improve efficiency, streamline operations and services toward their stakeholders and clients, and reduce reliance on scarce labor. Those who invest in new technologies today will shape the future of construction tomorrow.

The digital toolbox of opportunities

While the construction industry faces mounting pressures, innovation is proving to be more than just a way to keep up. It’s becoming an operational differentiator. Many digital technologies that have already transformed other industries can be readily applied to construction, helping companies streamline operations, reduce costs, and build smarter and faster. Let’s go through the digital tools that are reshaping the way buildings are designed and constructed.

To mitigate economic uncertainty and inflation

• AI can use past project data, weather patterns and economic trends for smarter planning and anticipating project delays. Similar predictive solutions already enhance road safety—why not apply them to construction?
• Building information modeling (BIM) enables precise planning of materials, workforce, and equipment, an approach we’ve already implemented for Wienerberger.
• Digital twins allow testing and validating appliance and utility choices based on realistic model simulations.
• By equipping machinery with sensors and predictive maintenance, issues can be detected before breakdowns occur.

To keep up with changing safety & compliance regulations

• AI can streamline permit approvals, automate regulatory checks and predict equipment failures before they disrupt operations.
• AI-powered robots and drones can assess hazardous areas to minimize human exposure to dangerous conditions, while wearable robotics reduce worker fatigue and injury risks.
• Digital twins allow virtual safety drills and risk assessments based on current regulations before construction begins.
• Software platforms can provide real-time documentation, making regulatory audits faster and more accurate. Make sure to check out the platform we helped build for Reynaers.

To address the pressing issue of skilled labor shortages

• AI can predict workforce needs, forecast material demand, automate/optimize resource allocation toward a minimal footprint and prevent supply chain disruptions.
• AI can also capture, collect and share expert knowledge and best practices. For example, we developed a digital platform for Renson that supports installers with product information, tutorials, and troubleshooting.
• A shared digital model ensures all stakeholders, architects, engineers and contractors work efficiently with up-to-date information. Learn more in our webinar on digital twins for buildings.
• Robots can take on physically demanding, repetitive tasks like automated bricklaying, welding and concrete pouring. Technologies that are already being used for prefab car parts, including wiring, could easily be introduced in the construction industry, too.
• Multi-axis robotic arms and 3D printing can create intricate stone carvings, complex concrete forms and custom metal or woodwork that were previously cost-prohibitive with unprecedented detail. Start-ups like Monumental Labs for example are already making this happen.

A future full of possibilities

Digital innovation is not about replacing human expertise but enhancing it. By integrating AI, automation, and IoT into construction, companies can reduce inefficiencies, improve safety, and open new creative possibilities. Rather than sacrificing design for cost and speed, builders and architects can reintroduce intricate details, relying on technology for precision and efficiency. While concerns about high investment costs and implementation challenges remain, the real opportunity lies in applying existing innovations from other industries, like automotive, ship and plane building. With a forward-thinking mindset, the construction sector can embrace these technologies to build faster, more sustainably, and with greater artistic freedom than ever before.

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EU Right to Repair Directive in a nutshell

The EU Right to Repair Directive entered into force in July 2024 to extend the lifespan of products, reduce waste and empower consumers. It requires manufacturers to provide consumers and independent repairers with the necessary tools, spare parts and information to repair products. Initially targeting household appliances and electronics, the directive sets clear standards for durability and accessibility, aiming to shift from a disposable economy to a circular one. For manufacturers, this means rethinking product design and supply chains, balancing compliance with the opportunity to build sustainable, customer-focused solutions that align with growing market and regulatory demands.

The role of digital product passports

Digital product passports (DPPs) are gaining momentum as industries, governments and consumers recognize their potential to enhance transparency, sustainability and product lifecycle management. This solution creates a digital record that travels with a product throughout its lifecycle, capturing essential information from origin to end of life. Think of it as a digital ID card for products that cover manufacturing details, sustainability metrics, compliance status, material sources and even recycling or repair instructions.

Unlike static documentation, DPPs update in real-time, allowing companies to streamline compliance with the directive, reduce manual reporting as well as cut down waste and costs. Take for example a washing machine. Equipped with a DPP, it can store a user manual, repair instructions, component specifications and warranty details. When scanned, consumers and repair professionals can access the exact parts and guidance needed to fix the appliance, ultimately strengthening the relationship with your customers.

Mapping the impact of DPPs across key sectors

The Right to Repair Directive specifically targets industries with high environmental footprints or significant repair potential:

• Consumer electronics: Simplifying repairs for products like smartphones, TVs and household appliances
• Automotive: Improving traceability for spare parts and sustainability in electric vehicles and batteries
• Industrial equipment: Managing machinery lifecycles more easily through regular maintenance or upgrades

Regardless of the industries impacted by the directive, DPPs deliver tangible benefits in various other industries:

• Fashion and textiles: Verifying authenticity and tracking material origins to address counterfeiting and sustainability challenges
• Food and beverages: Ensuring farm-to-fork traceability, enabling consumers to verify organic claims or fair-trade certifications
• Pharmaceuticals: Tracking the provenance and safety of medicines, supporting compliance with stringent regulatory standards

From recurring challenges to transformative potential

Adopting digital product passports might feel like a big ask: there are initial costs, complex integrations and stakeholder buy-in to consider. Let’s look into recurring challenges companies face and how to choose the right approach to meet these challenges head-on.

• Data quality: Collecting the right, high-quality data is essential to ensure transparency and traceability across a product’s lifecycle. Because data is often fragmented across supply chains, many manufacturers struggle with this. Ensuring accuracy and completenes is a necessary investment though, as it’s the basis of the entire project.
• Evolving user and regulatory requirements: The regulatory landscape surrounding the Right to Repair Directive and DPPs is still developing, with change likely to emerge over time. At the same time, companies must ensure their chosen solutions are not only compliant today but also flexible to future customer expectations and needs.
• Infrastructure gaps and integration challenges: To integrate DPPs into existing systems, companies need to ensure compatibility with various IT environments, often creating issues with data standardization, scalability, interoperability and data security. Especially, legacy systems often lack compatibility with modern solutions, while the high cost of upgrades and training can strain resources, especially for smaller businesses.

Despite these obstacles, DPPs hold immense potential, whether off-the-shelf or custom. Each come with distinct advantages. In general, off-the-shelf DPP solutions offer quick deployment and standardized features, making them ideal for businesses looking to meet basic compliance requirements without extensive development efforts. However, they may lack the flexibility to address industry-specific needs or complexities. In contrast, custom DPP systems allow businesses to tailor their approach to their specific products, processes and customer demands. While the development process may require a greater initial investment, they enhance adaptability, improve scalability and offer a competitive edge on the long term.

Long-term gains for those who push through

By now it should be clear that digital product passports are not just regulatory tools, they enable a sustainable, transparent and consumer-centric future. By combining cutting-edge technology with evolving regulatory frameworks, DPPs empower industries to embrace the principles of a circular economy while enhancing customer trust and product value.

As the EU and other regions strengthen sustainability mandates, DPPs will undoubtedly become a cornerstone of product lifecycle management, benefitting businesses, consumers, and the planet alike.

Want to know more about the potential of a digital product passport? Check out our Reynaers case!

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For years, the MVP mantra ruled digital innovation to kick off the product journey. With connected devices, the rhythm of incremental updates kept products evolving: smarter, faster, and better with each release. As digital innovation has matured, so have user expectations, raising the stakes like never before. Today’s MVPs must not just meet regulations, but exceed usability, connectivity, and cyber security expectations. In this track, we’ll take a deep dive into real-world cases to explore how MVPs have evolved and why building secure, feature-rich products from the start is now a must. Check out the presentations from the Innovation Day of 2024 on:

• A minimal viable product to explore emerging markets
  By Dennis Daems, Technology Manager at Verhaert Digital Innovation
• Mapping the EU Cyber Resilience Act on digital products
  By Bart De Vos, Consultant Embedded Lab at Verhaert Product Innovation

View the presentation

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How do you make sure your supply chain doesn’t become the weakest link in your construction projects? From manufacturers and installers to contractors and builders, the relationship with your stakeholders is a crucial step in your long-term growth strategy, because it relies on lasting loyal partners.

During Verhaert Digital Innovation’s ‘Relationships built to last’ webinar on May 25th, Thomas Lauwers, Manager Innovation Acceleration, invited Bert Verlinden, Innovation Consultant & Solutions Architect at Verhaert Digital, and Stephanie Kellens, Product Manager Digital Services at Reynaers Aluminium to discuss how digital solutions unlock loyalty in the construction.

Access the recording and presentation below to:

• Learn our proven approach to pinpoint supply chain communication challenges
• Gain best practices in digital roadmaps to overcome those challenge
• Discover DigiTrace, the comprehensive application at Reynaers

Watch the recording

View the presentation

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By giving things an identity you can manage and reuse them better. The identity of things, in combination with modular design for dismantling, will play a huge role to foster a better future. How can the Reynaers digital passport contribute to a better world by building a future of circular products? Find out in this webinar from Jannes Van de maele, Technology Manager at Verhaert Digital Innovation, and Thomas Lauwers, Manager Innovation Acceleration at Verhaert Digital Innovation.

Watch the recording

View the presentation

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Turn your installers into brand ambassadors

Installers are the decision-makers regarding private homes. As a manufacturer of building materials, you want to get them on your side. But how? Make installers’ lives easier by saving them time and effort in their daily work. Tackle complexity, administration or repetitive tasks, support them by making failproof configurations and become a trusted partner in their business, not just a supplier. That was exactly our goal with the All4Roof tool we built for Wienerberger. Roofers used to spend at least 1,5 hours on a mockup and a quotation. Now it’s done in only 15 minutes and they can roll out a nice Bill of materials. No wonder the tool is catching on fast.

Get your end client the best solution

A product catalog with hundreds of different options and new products being added every year, complex local building regulations, different housing situations and subsidies, etc. It’s challenging for installers to choose the best solution for their client. They can be inclined to use the same system they have always installed even if it’s not the best fit. With a fail-proof product configurator, like the one we built for Remeha, installers find out in a couple of clicks what system suits their client’s needs. This will create loyalty and fans for your brand.

Improve your service and products based on data

Targeted marketing offers

If you work with wholesalers, you only obtain raw data on your products, limited to the quantities you sell. Installers might work in other regions to install them though. If they use your product configurator or some other platform you provide, you know exactly which products are popular in which areas. This creates opportunities for very targeted marketing deals.

Take your products to the next level

It also allows you to get feedback from installers to further improve your products and services and create new ones. After all, they use them in the field every day. Maybe they run into problems with certain product combinations. If you know, you can learn and adapt the design.

What if you could also create a direct connection with your end users with respect for the whole value chain? The people using your doors, heating systems, ventilation? You could offer end clients a quotation simulation tool via your website to gather feedback on the whole project.

Quality assurance

Are your products and accessories used in the correct way? In the correct
combinations? In accordance with local regulations? In terms of roofs, for example, there are strict rules on what type of tiles to use in snowy or very windy areas. The All4Roof platform we built for Wienerberger takes all these regulations into account. Wienerberger, therefore, enjoys a higher quality assurance and can offer an extended warranty to both installers and clients. Now you hit three birds with one stone.

Conclusion

Turning your installers into your most avid supporters, improving your own products and service and ensuring a high quality, there are so many reasons to collect data.
No time like the present to get started because your competitors might also be reading this.

The post How data became the most valuable building block in construction appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.

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Automate your administration

Make data easily accessible for all

Today, a lot of businesses in construction still work with Excel. These files are scattered over different laptops, tablets, and file shares. But laptops crash and work simultaneously on a file causing data to get lost. In the end, Excel is a spreadsheet, not a secure data management system. By storing data in the cloud, all parties have access to it always and everywhere. It can easily be shared across different devices improving multi-stakeholder communication and ensuring one single source of truth.

Automate calculations, configurations and quotes

Installers often spend a lot of time performing calculations and drafting quotes. By helping them reduce the time they spend on these tasks, they will be inclined to select your products over your competitors. That is exactly what we did for Wienerberger with the All4Roof platform. Roofers used to spend 1,5 hours to draft a quote: calculating the structure of the roof, the quantities of the materials, the prices. With All4Roof it only takes about 15 min. You can imagine a roofer’s choice is easily made.

Error-free designing

If you can heavily reduce the number of errors made during the design phase, you reduce the number of complaints, calls, visits, replacements… In short, you reduce the hassle and improve efficiency. But there are two big challenges to designing error-free. First, the installer has to know all the available products to make the best choice. Second, installers need to be sure which combinations are feasible.

We tackled these two problems with one platform for Remeha, a key player in manufacturing heating systems. A fail and foolproof tool that guides the installer towards the best possible heating system. This platform is also linked to a reseller’s online shop so installers can immediately place their items in the shop’s basket.

Another example is the Access Control configurator which we built for Reynaers. It is linked to Reynaers’ internal PIM, or Product Information System holding all information on products in access control systems (think badge access). Now, installers can easily navigate this very complex catalog of products. They just have to select a few parameters and voilà, the best configuration rolls out with all the details to build the correct access control system. We’re talking about all the article codes, detailed schemes and installation instructions.

Gather client insights

Maybe you still use handwritten notes (packaging list, bills of lading, customs forms,…) These paper documents can be digitized and uploaded to the cloud using cognitive data capture. This technology converts writing into typed text and can automatically process documents. For example, if an invoice comes in, it will automatically recognize the vendor’s name, the products, discounts, etc. By linking it to your PIM system, you can measure the impact of a marketing campaign on sales, discover usage patterns and perform predictive analysis for future sales.

Manage and trace materials

Reduce your material cost and ecological footprint

Today, buildings are constructed without thinking about what will happen to the materials afterward. This situation is hard to sustain in a world where raw materials are becoming ever more scarce. The circular economy advises repairing, reusing, refurbishing and recycling. But how can you implement that in the construction industry? First of all, this concept of circular building needs to be present from the start. The design itself has to allow easy disassembly and reuse. Second, the materials themselves need to be reusable and/or recyclable. Third, we need to digitally invent all used building materials to be able to trace their full lifecycle. Now you can start recovering all those precious materials.

Test new ideas in the virtual realm

What if you could test new ideas or improvements in buildings without intervening in the real world? Yes, we’re talking about a digital twin. It is a virtual representation of a physical object. In this case, a building. It stores all the information about this building throughout its entire lifecycle. That means it needs to be updated continuously. That’s how you get a building passport. A great example is Madaster, used in the Netherlands, Scandinavia and also Belgium. It is a cloud platform allowing you to manage digital twins of buildings.

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Optimising your product or service to achieve operational excellence

Improving internal operations using IoT can save you a lot of money and requires limited investments. You can automate certain processes, make smarter decisions in personnel and supply chain management, go from performing repairs to predictive maintenance and have a better overview of your physical assets. Here are some examples:

• Trash cans saving time and money
  Cities like Ghent and Antwerp have connected trash cans. The sensors attached measure the contents of the bin and send out a signal when they’re full. Now, public waste companies can optimize their timetables and itineraries, saving time and fuel.
• Track assets anywhere
  Where are the wheelchairs in your hospital? By monitoring physical assets using a camera or tracking devices, you maintain an overview. The logistics company Ahlers, previously used armed guards to secure goods inside trucks. Now, a little camera we developed does the trick. It doesn’t only lower the risk of theft but the upgraded security and surveillance also lowers insurance costs.
• IoT makes vertical farms grow
  Infarm, the first European vertical farming unicorn uses sensors to measure just about everything to ensure the perfect climate for every crop. They collect real-time data about the slightest changes in their plants’ environment and use it to optimize their growing recipes and reduce the use of natural resources.

Most companies looking to achieve operational excellence through IoT tend to search for existing solutions. This makes it easy to make the risk-return trade-off. You already know how much the IoT solution costs and you can estimate the time and effort, hence the money, it will save.

Get your end client the best solution

We’re talking about a service that owes its existence to IoT. This is one of the riskier business cases. On the other hand, it’s also the biggest risks that bring the biggest rewards. Here, IoT and in particular the software opens the door to a whole range of services and therefore recurring revenues. One of your revenue streams could also come from selling raw data or information and insights.

• June, your private energy consultant
  June tracks your energy usage through smart devices on your meters to help reduce your consumption. With this data, it automatically switches you to a cheaper supplier. In the near future, June will become your private energy consultant, advising you on solar panels, heat pumps etc. to reduce your energy bills.
• Goodbye classic mailbox. Hello personal assistant.
  Custo is ready to revolutionize the delivery service. They will launch a smart delivery box that acts as your personal assistant handling everything that comes through your front door. It basically just has a lock you can open remotely but the magic is in the software. You will be able to use it to return packages, manage the warranties on every gadget you order, send your laundry to the ironing service, accept food deliveries, etc. The opportunities are infinite.
• Citizen science through IoT
  Telraam is a purely data-driven business. Citizens attach this device to their windows to perform intricate traffic counts through a state-of-the-art AI engine. This data is used to create insights and give advice to local governments to help improve traffic flows.

Quality assurance

Adding new features to an existing product through IoT is a way of staying relevant and creating loyal customers. Of course, it’s unclear how much profit you stand to gain. Consumers will balance the increase in cost against added comfort. Market research can shed light on this before you start investing in development.

• Smart washing machine
  A washing machine that is automatically turned on remotely when your solar panels are working overtime, can save you quite a bit of money.
• Smart lighting
  We all know the amazing lighting products Philips offers. By app or voice recognition, you can adapt the Hue lights to your mood. But it could also serve other, more important purposes. It could shine brightly when the smoke alarm sounds or when an intruder has been detected.

Come up with new business models

You might have heard about Thomas Rau, CEO and founder of Turntoo and consultant circular economy, who developed an innovative services business model for the Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands. According to him, suppliers have no incentive to create sustainable products. If the product breaks down, they just sell another one. That’s good for business. But what if we buy light instead of lamps? Then it’s in the best interest of the supplier to make a sustainable product that requires little maintenance and consumes less energy. In return, the company can charge for the results it delivers per month, week or even hour. Some examples:

• Sell safety instead of a baby car seat
  Baby car seats are expensive. And second-hand seats don’t guarantee the safety of your child. Manufacturers can sell safety instead of a car seat allowing consumers to lease the car seat for a period of time and then return it. A sensor on the car seat detects any crashes and ensures only the safe car seats are reused. The manufacturer saves resources and charges a recurring fee.
• Power-by-the-Hour
  Before the 1960s, airlines bought airplanes with an engine and paid for a separate maintenance contract. Rolls-Royce introduced a new option. Power-by-the-Hour offers a complete engine and accessory replacement service on a fixed-cost-per-flying-hour basis.

Here too, market research can offer insights into consumers’ needs and willingness to pay before breaking the bank. If the new business model fails, you can always fall back to your product-based business model. But if it is a success, you have obtained recurring revenues, the holy grail. At the same time you, as a manufacturer, will be pushed towards producing better, more sustainable, more customized and less energy-consuming products that are also more easily recycled. Better for your clients, better for you and better for the planet.

Conclusion

Think before you begin. It sounds cliché but it’s true. Don’t start connecting your product just for the sake of connecting because the hardware is hard. You need a sound strategy. How will you drive new revenues with IoT? Do you want to optimize operations? Change your business model and start offering services instead of products. Be a data-driven startup? Or add new features that generate real value? If you would like some help figuring this out, let us know. Give us a call or drop by our amazing office at PAkt, Antwerp.

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Here are the UX/UI design trends that we think will catch on… and (just to mix it up a little) the ones that won’t, even though many people actually expect them to.

UX/UI trend to be – Minimalism with a hint of flamboyance

Fashion is always a barometer of what trends will soon trickle through to the online world as well. Minimalistic styles have undeniably found their way to many wardrobes. Other offline brands have picked up on the trend as well. The relative novelty of online has always provoked a somewhat exuberant style for websites and online platforms. However, people are more than ready to go back to basics in the online world as well. In times of information overload, less is more.

We adopted that principle ourselves very recently when we developed the new website for Xylos. We used a font type that takes it easy on the boldness. The idea behind it is literally making the information lighter and easy to read, instead of disorienting the reader with in-your-face boldness. This strategy still draws the desired attention thanks to the use of space and contrasts in text color (black vs. grey). Apple also tends to apply this best practice in its web design: a reliable reference for the approach.

Another expression of minimalism is the following: due to the growing obsession with Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), more and more innovative companies choose to communicate only a single key message on their website’s homepage. A good example is DAUM&CO. This approach chooses to trigger the visitor with minimal information, as opposed to trying hard to get the visitor to understand everything the company does at once. The latter approach often only ends up overloading the person with information or at best oversimplifying the company’s actual activities.

To avoid minimalistic websites from becoming too basic, web designers often choose to add just a little touch of flamboyancy. Often that touch is found in the transitions between website pages (or only at the very beginning when a page is loaded). In other words: not where or when the visitor is trying to read or absorb information. Examples are Tesla or again Apple.

UX/UI trend NOT to be – Neumorphism

Dynamic depth or Neumorphism is one of those interface design trends that didn’t quite catch on. We believe that’s not going to happen in 2021 either. Neumorphism mimics real-world (often technological) objects on the screen. Many designers like it because it’s exciting and creative to realize. But in the end, the customer (end-user) is king. End users don’t get all the excitement that goes into creating this style.

End users know very well that they’re not in the real world when they are on a digital platform, so they don’t expect it to truly simulate reality. When neomorphism is forced upon them and the readability of the website is substituted for gimmicks, they tend to opt out. In other words, they just don’t feel it and want to simply move on.

UX/UI trend to be – Glassmorphism, branded iconography and beyond

Even though we think neomorphism as such will not catch on, there is a similar (sub)trend called ‘glassmorphism’ we probably will at least play around with a little bit at Bagaar. Unlike Neumorphism which imitates depth, while to the eye everything still remains on a single layer, glassmorphism actually achieves a multilayer effect, thanks to transparency and blurriness effects.

Apple’s latest software release Big Sur is not only a good example of glassmorphism. It is also a good example of how to apply glass morphism. That is: not using the effect on every single screen but when it brings added value: when your interface needs some hierarchy, for example. Hopefully, web designers will use glassmorphism intelligently. From some of the work we’re discovering online we’re confident many of them are catching on quite well.

The hamburger menu icon has earned its spurs over the years. Its success lies in the fact that it is used so widely. Love it or hate it, an end user knows what to expect from it. However, as icons become a bigger part of brand book guidelines and designers have the possibility to animate them, we expect customized icons to become a trend. A nice example is Orangina.

Some brands even go beyond iconography. A competitor for Moleskine, Karst Stone Paper, has designed its own unique font that is reflected on its website.

UX/UI trend NOT to be – Voice user interfaces

Now, when we say “not to be”, we mean: not right away, here in Europe. Voice user interfaces are more and more adopted in the US thanks to Amazon Echo devices and other devices with “Siri” or “Hey Google”. If the trend really picks up in the US, surely it will find its way to Europe but it will take a little bit of time, simply because Europe is a bit more complicated language-wise.

So, mainstream users literally speak to their phones or let alone, their laptops: we probably will not see it in 2021. But who knows? Working from home might change our adoption behavior more drastically than we anticipate.

UX/UI trend to be – Simplification in user experience

At Bagaar we love user experience and user interfaces. How much, you ask? Let’s just say we love it so much, that we really hate bad UX/UI. Our therapist told us to find an outlet in sarcasm so we made a little website for everyone to see what we mean when we get so angry about bad UX/UI.

And we notice we are not alone. Many digital services are simplifying their user experience these days. This is a trend we welcome very much and believe will continue fiercely in 2021. An example? Simplified registration. Facebook is the one that started it all a while back. A service like HubSpot just asks the user three simple questions. We say: why not make it even easier by just asking for your name and e-mail? Either way, the trend is developing and with multi-factor authentication, we can keep things secure.

UX/UI trends NOT to be – Over-animated displays, A/R-V/R and hidden navigation.

There’s animation and there’s animation. Whether animation is a good choice? Well, UX/UI designers can get pretty animated in that debate. On one hand people like a dynamic website that feels alive. The question is: “should everything be moving?” And there seems to be some pretty strong consensus that the answer is “no”. Animation can make a website a tad more interactive but sometimes it only contributes to a bad user experience. This website, for example, is pretty creative but it has some quirky animations that aren’t necessary. It tries to bring itself to life with animation that doesn’t improve the overall user experience and actually only distracts the visitor.

Another sin that this website commits is: hiding the navigation (or at least not letting the menu stand out much). Sometimes, it’s understandable to give as much space as possible to an important video or animation that carries out your identity and brings things to life but it shouldn’t be counterproductive. You always want your visitor to discover as much as possible. So, at least tease them a little to go below the fold. Just a little arrow can do wonders. Exhibit A: once again, the homepage of the Xylos website we recently developed.

Speaking of bringing things to life. Another trend that has been pushed by a lot of big corporations but just hasn’t really reached anyone except for early adopters: augmented reality and virtual reality. So what does this mean for UX or UI design? We have to keep it in the back of our heads. A lot of meetings take place virtually today and depending on how the pandemic evolves, end users might develop more urges for augmented- and virtual reality as they work from home. If things evolve as we all hope and the pandemic goes away, the AR/VR trend will surely not really pick up just yet. Ok, so we almost made it to the end of the article without bringing up COVID-19. Please, forgive us and let us know what you think will (not) be trending in UX/UI design this year.

Do you have a UX/UI Project in mind?

Let’s have a chat

The post To be or not to be: which UX/UI trends will rise this year? appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.

The post To be or not to be: which UX/UI trends will rise this year? appeared first on Verhaert Masters in Innovation.

Thinking local

Technology adoption works like a pendulum. First, we used local machines, big mainframes that were the heart and brains of a company. Naturally, these single points of failure came with a few risks and rather limited flexibility. Physical breaches were a real threat. An employee who’s having an off day could just walk into the server room and switch everything off. Hackers can easily find a way in and a fire could devour all this precious data in a flash.

Stuff it all in the cloud

So the pendulum swayed in the opposite direction: “Let’s move everything to the cloud!” The pros? You can make use of Amazon’s, Azure’s and Google’s immense calculation power, storage and growing range of services (AI, security, data management, databases, access & identity,…) and your infrastructure is less prone to hacking. The cloud comes with its own set of limitations though. Sending all this data to the cloud every millisecond can cause bottlenecks. Just think about all the points this data has to travel through. When you want to visit a website, your computer sends a signal to the wireless access point in your office, then on to a network switch, and next it goes to the router connected to the modem. That modem communicates with the Internet Service Provider (like Telenet or Proximus in Belgium) which sends it to other networks to finally arrive at, for example, the Amazon data servers, probably pushing it through cables at the bottom of the ocean. No wonder it’s called surfing on the internet. And then it still has to start sending all the data back to that one computer somewhere in the world. The magic of networking.

Next to the possible latency or bottlenecks, sending tons of data drains devices’ batteries (a lot of IoT devices are battery powered), uses a lot of bandwidth and there are also possible privacy issues. Everything that is sent to the cloud could be spied on. The Wired’s journalist Clive Thompson justly asks his Amazon Echo every so often “Alexa, are you eavesdropping on me?”. He makes a convincing case when he states that Alexa might need to push a lot of data to the cloud because it needs to know almost everything but what about all those smaller smart devices? A smart doorbell and smart coffee machine or washing machine. Companies creating voice assistants want to turn them into 3-CPO’s but they don’t need to be able to discuss worldly matters with you or become friends with you. They just need to understand some basic commands. That’s where edge computing comes in handy.

Data living on the Edge

Edge computing allows data from internet of things devices to be processed at the edge of the network before being sent to a data center or cloud. So the data does not need to be pushed to the cloud every millisecond. Instead, it can take decisions on its own and determines on the (aggregated) set of data if it wants to push information to the cloud.

Take the driverless car. If suddenly 5 school children pop up in front of it, it needs to be able to make a decision in a split second. It cannot depend on a good internet connection and start communicating with the cloud to respond correctly. So the calculation magic happens there where it is needed, on the edge hardware built in the car: interpreting the video stream, identifying people and activating the brakes.

A good example of a device using AI on edge is Telraam. We are currently working together with TML (Transport & Mobility Leuven) on the second version of this fine piece of technology. It’s used to measure traffic in streets. This provides a wealth of information to adapt infrastructure, signage and traffic regulations to create safer and more pleasant streets. This device is attached to a window and observes the road detecting passing traffic. Using AI algorithms the device can detect whether it’s a car, bike, truck, van or pedestrian passing by and can detect its speed. It does not send all the images featuring people or license plates into the cloud dodging privacy issues. This data is immediately deleted. Only the end result is pushed to the cloud.

Seen as a lot of devices do not need to be as smart as Alexa or 3-CPO or need the same computing power of a computer army, we will see edge computing pop up in all areas of industry. Devices will become smarter and smarter and increasingly independent, making decisions, aggregating data and only communicating sets of data to the cloud when it is useful. Training algorithms and creating (historical) dashboards will still need lakes of data on cloud infrastructures, but real-time data and decisions will more and more move away from the cloud to local hardware. This way you have the data where and when you need it. Historical data to train your AI and create insights, and real-time data to take real-time decisions. We see this happening in every industry, from predictive maintenance in large factory halls, over security cameras interpreting video streams to devices helping the elderly to live longer in their own house.

Conclusion

So what is edge computing? It’s basically a smart device that collects data on its own. It balances calculation power, energy consumption and privacy neatly. We will see a lot more devices pop up using edge computing and also fog computing, which is one level up from the edge. But that’s food for a whole new article. So stay tuned.

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