我們正在邁入可穿戴、直覺式計算的新時代。房屋、汽車、商店、農場、工廠，這些東西都將具備思考、感知和行動的能力。這不是科幻小說中的場景，而是我們即將進入的新時代。
大多數人可能還沒有意識到，我們已經感受到第三次計算機革命的影響。它正在細微、然而卻顯著地幫助我們過上更安全、更健康、更穩定的生活。比如說，假如你駕駛一輛2014款梅賽德斯-奔馳車，它的“智能”系統將防止你撞到行人。尼日利亞的農民用上了可以與個人的移動設備進行信息傳遞的氣象傳感器。而AdhereTech推出的新款藥瓶則能通過短信或自動電話留言的方式，提醒用戶按時服藥。
科技正融入我們的一言一行，實時數據正將我們的現實世界和數字世界聯系在一起。我們與技術的關系發生了巨大的改變，企業可以據此調整自己的產品和服務。
我們看到：通過安裝傳感器，智能城市的管理者們可以更好地規劃停車位。而聲音傳感器是市政安全領域的好手，它們可以通過聲音和GPS精確定位槍聲的位置。只需不到半分鐘，安全調度員們就能獲知開槍者的人數和槍擊次數，甚至是槍的型號。
再來看看健康領域。我們能從可穿戴設備上監控自己的運動、睡眠和卡路里消耗等信息，從而確保自己沒有違背醫生的指示，或是正在努力實現個人健康目標。父母們則可以給新生兒穿上帶有濕度傳感器的尿布，它能在需要更換時發出聲響提醒我們。
第三次計算機革命的意義究竟如何？我們不妨回過頭來看看歷史。第一次是50年前，大型機系統進入公司管理運營領域。上世紀80年代和90年代，隨著PC機誕生，計算機進入“個人”時代。但總體而言，“計算”缺乏移動性，而且不那么智能。
第二次計算機革命后期，移動計算和智能手機開始占據主導。全球幾十億人口都通過網絡彼此相連，其中很多人甚至還沒解決飲用水、電力和住房的問題。軟件工程師們開發了無數應用程序，人們幾乎可以用手機完成任何事情，需要做的僅僅是支付一下手機上網套餐而已。
隨著第三次計算機革命的突飛猛進，設計師們必須滿足消費者不斷嘗試新技術的需求。
在此之前，設計師們的重心是產品的外形和功能。當然，這些現在仍是不可或缺的要素，但用戶體驗的重要性日益凸現，并將在未來起到決定性的作用。打造單一產品的時代已經過去，設計師們需要構造出一整套互相關聯的產品和服務，還要讓它們能夠相互感知、相互配合。
我們告訴企業，現在就要跑馬圈地，占領這個消彌了數字世界與現實世界界限的空間。在這個空間里，產品和服務模擬我們的自然行為并對其做出反應。（財富中文網）
西奧多•佛巴斯是全球性產品設計與戰略公司青蛙設計的副總裁。
譯者：項航
| | | We have entered a new age of embedded, intuitive computing in which our homes, cars, stores, farms, and factories have the ability to think, sense, understand, and respond to our needs. It's not science fiction, but the dawn of a new era.
Most people might not realize it yet, but we are already feeling the impact of what's known as the third wave of computing. In small but significant ways it is helping us live safer, healthier, and more secure lives. If you drive a 2014 Mercedes Benz, for example, an "intelligent" system endeavors to keep you from hitting a pedestrian. A farmer in Nigeria relies on weather sensors that communicate with his mobile device. Forgot your medication? A new pill bottle from AdhereTech reminds you via text or automated phone messages that it's time to take a pill.
Technology is being integrated into our natural behaviors, with real-time data connecting our physical and digital worlds. With this dramatic shift in our relationship to technology, companies can adapt their products and services.
We already see cities growing "smarter" by installing sensors to automate the management of parking spaces. To enhance urban security, acoustic sensors coupled with audio and GPS analytics "listen" to pinpoint the location of gunfire. Within 30 seconds, dispatchers can determine the number of shooters, the shots fired, and even the type of weapon used.
Consider health care. Wearable devices allow us to monitor our steps, our sleep patterns, and our calorie intake to ensure we are following doctors' orders and meeting our personal goals. Parents of newborns can try a diaper that has a humidity sensor that tweets when it's time for a change.
To understand how revolutionary the third wave is, we ought to consider how far we have come. The first wave began when companies started to manage their operations via mainframe computer systems over 50 years ago. Then computing got "personal" in the 1980s and '90s with the introduction of the PC. For the most part, computing remained immobile and lacked contextual awareness.
In computing's second wave, mobile computing and the smartphone took center stage. Billions of people, some who might not have had access to clean water, electricity, or even housing, were connected. Developers created apps and provided consumers with access to just about everything through their phone at the cost of a monthly data plan.
As the third wave gains momentum, designers must meet the demands of clients who want to experiment with new tech.
Historically, designers have focused their attention on a product's form and function. While that still matters, of course, the definition of a meaningful user experience has expanded significantly and will continue to do so. Instead of creating a single product, designers will need to imagine a suite of connected products and services that have awareness of each other and their surroundings.
Stake a claim now, we tell companies, in the space where digital and physical disappear, and products and services mimic and react to our natural behaviors.
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