{"id":885,"date":"2017-01-10T22:54:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-10T22:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.guided-selling.org\/why-humanizing-technology-is-the-next-step-guided-selling\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T20:10:08","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T20:10:08","slug":"humanizing-technology-next-step","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.guided-selling.org\/humanizing-technology-next-step\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Humanizing Technology Is the Next Logical Step"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social media. Virtual reality. Internet of Things. Artificial Intelligence. Technology and humans are becoming ever enmeshed. We rely on technology like never before; we use it to stay in touch, complete work, get the news, shop for groceries, manage our finances\u2026 the list goes on. And on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are so involved with technology that we don\u2019t even realize how much it affects our daily lives that it is actually changing our brains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The availability of technology makes us more impatient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the digital age, where people consume news in 140 characters or less, use emojis to share complete stories, and attention is largely stimulus-driven, people\u2019s brains are adapting and changing in the presence of technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costas Markides, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the London Business School told Computer Weekly<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAll of our brains are physically changing. Our attention span is becoming very small.
\nWe pay attention for 30 seconds and then our brain moves on to something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

People use different kinds of digital devices and tools to do all sorts of things. However, if they are not sure really how they work or don\u2019t quickly understand how to use them effectively, they will not make use of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a response, there is a clear trend towards making interactions with digital tools more people-friendly <\/em>to improve how people leverage technology and consume information. Access to technology should make us more informed, effective and efficient. It should help us to do things faster and smarter to save time and cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology shapes brains and brain shapes technology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re seeing this in action already \u2013 take something as simple as voice commands<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you noticed how in the last few years they\u2019ve gone from sounding like robots to having a human tone? If you ring your bank you\u2019ll likely have your call filtered and your issue ascertained before being put through to the right human to solve your problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your issue isn\u2019t understood, you won\u2019t hear \u201cWrong input. Error! Can\u2019t compute\u201d<\/em>, but instead you will hear a standard response like \u201cSorry, but I can\u2019t understand, could you repeat your issue please?\u201d<\/em> Technology has grown manners to fit it with our ideals of social niceties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As tech becomes sleeker and more intelligent, it also becomes more human or human-brain friendly<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The advances in the areas of conversational interfaces (chatbots), voice recognition and natural language processing<\/strong> will continue to generate some buzz this year. They will further break down the barriers between technology and humans. When integration becomes this seamless, technology is ever closer to becoming a part of our identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a highly technologized future raises some concerns over the usage and impact of technology<\/a>, one thing is for sure: technology is raising people\u2019s expectations across the board. It was only a few decades ago that mobile phones were a novelty \u2013 yet the public\u2019s appetite for more seems insatiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Got a spare minute for a laugh? Louis CK<\/a> muses on this very issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why technology has to become more human<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate factor that decides whether a technology will be adopted is not technical at all. The most essential aspect is how well a technology understands and can support our human cognitive capabilities and enhance how we do things naturally. It needs to be easy-to-understand, convenient, well-engineered, and optimized around people and their habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When deciding between two productivity apps that basically do the same thing, most people will gravitate towards the one that has a slicker interface, looks easier to use, has clear menus and descriptions, and therefore, is intrinsically more human-friendly and appealing. The user experience, convenience and minimal time investments required to use it successfully, are the unique and differentiating benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at these chairs, for example. Both of them are \u2018chairs\u2019 and do the same thing in the sense that they offer a solid sitting surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which one would you rather sit on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Which chair would you rather sit on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 3 reasons why technology needs to become more human:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Convenience<\/strong>: Consumers are affected by information overload. They want personalised, quick and easy access to the information or results that are relevant for their specific situation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Simplification:<\/strong> Technology is supposed to reduce the complexity in our daily lives, which is partly caused by technology itself. Advancing technology will continue to become more human-oriented<\/em> to help us to simplify, assess and filter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Greater inclusion:<\/strong>\u00a0The speed at which technology is advancing bears the risk of excluding less tech-savvy people from its benefits. For example, people who don\u2019t know how to operate a search engine, smartphones or apps, will have difficulties to access information that may be relevant for them.\u00a0Google<\/a>\u00a0is a company that is known for its focus on useful and human-friendly technologies. It uses a machine-learning artificial intelligence system called \u201cRankBrain<\/a>\u201d and is constantly taking steps to refine its algorithms to interpret and understand the searches that people submit. It should make their search engine work for everyone \u2014 especially for the most polite among us.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Practical tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There are some basic overarching principles how you can make technology more human-friendly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n