It’s exciting to think that there will be plenty of curveballs and surprises in the next few years of interaction design. There is no other industry that is evolving at such an astonishing rate and it really is a great time to be exploring new and better methods to unite people with the world around them.

As much as things will change, it’s important to remember that the fundamentals of interaction design lie in building relationships between users and products. The relationship can be obvious or subtle but it must always exist. People use a product because it provides a service: it makes their life better or it just makes them happy. If it fails to connect on any level with the user then the date has ended early and you’re going home in separate cabs.

This relationship between a user and a product is at the forefront of our focus at Cypha. This is how we measure success and determine the value of an execution. By getting the relationship right we really can make a difference and ultimately make peoples lives better. Now, that’s more satisfying and profitable than banging out meaningless campaigns, right?

Real relationships mean real understanding of the user and genuine empathy is the key to this understanding. Often agencies and clients alike don’t develop an understanding of their user and make the product for themselves, basing their choices on their own personal preferences and tastes. But never forget, you are not the user and your client isn’t the user. If you only consider these two people in an attempt to create a wide reaching product, you are almost certain to fail.