It’s a confusing time in enterprise software. Everything is changing and it’s hard to keep up. There is a simple way to think about this, things to watch for that can help you spot trends.
Dreamforce is an excellent time for pattern matching.
There are lots of new ideas to see, but where do you focus?
So much change
There is constant news about layoffs, and you might worry about your job security.
Salesforce introduced the Headless concept, positioning for SaaS without a browser!
Websites report a 33% drop in search traffic in the past year. You get your answers directly from ChatGPT or Claude. You did this with a search engine only a few years ago.
AI has created the next big shake-up in human-computer use.
All of this change creates uncertainty. How should you respond? How can you prepare for a future you can’t see?
Some facts
One: The shape of our computer interaction is changing.
Example: many people now speak to their computers instead of typing, seeing an increase from 40 to 200 words per minute.
Two: New interaction options are coming soon.
Example: companies like Meta, Google, Samsung are working on perfecting augmented reality glasses.
Three: Innovation in AI is creating new interfaces.
Examples: MCP-UI,
MCP Apps,
WebMCP,
A2UI,
AG-UI, etc.
Some are in your chat, some are not.
Four: The data we use and share with customers changes much faster.
Example: You collaborate with humans and agents in a Slack channel,
and there is 25x growth in agents changing the systems of record.
You need a way to see these changes, at least an overview, often more.
Chat is v1 of the human AI interface.
What will v2, v3 look like? Nobody knows. Everybody is guessing.
What to watch for
Chat interfaces already have problems, e.g. multi-page walls of text are hard to consume.
Great products remove constraints. If we don’t know the new interfaces, then we don’t yet know what the constraints will be. Spotting the trends in the user interface allows you to predict the constraints.
Try to observe as many different new demos and products as you can. Watch for interfaces that optimise information flow to and from the human.
Optimise is not maximise. It’s not easy to drink from a fire hose.
Pay attention when previously unused human capabilities are unlocked. Vision will likely be the highest bandwidth input for humans for a while. Understanding what we see in a world with fast-changing data will be valuable.
What about our other senses? Is hearing under-used?
Conclusion
The industry will follow the customers. Buyers will choose the most intuitive and efficient interfaces for staff and customers.
If you can spot a trend, you know what to try and what to learn.
If that trend has a constraint, you can look for solutions.
In a world where our leaders don’t know what is coming, it’s valuable to discover and try the new interfaces yourself. That knowledge translates into confidence.
It’s going to be very different soon. You don’t have to wait. You can prepare.
Dreamforce is a great time to conduct your own research.
Nextdoc has a horse in this race. Streaming user interfaces will be a part of this future.