Ambient UX is a term that’s been around for a while, but hasn’t gained a lot of traction until recently. It refers to the way in which connections, capabilities, and content are delivered to those who need them through devices, apps, and services. The reason it’s called Ambient UX is that this delivery is meant to be seamless, continuous, and self-adjusting—providing a natural, ambient feel to the delivery.
As you can imagine, this has serious implications for public safety officers. The data that they rely on day in and day out must be delivered at the correct time, to the correct device, and in the correct context. Because of the growing number of devices that officers use—smartphones, laptops, body cameras, and radios to name a few—it’s more important than ever that Ambient UX be available to officers. It allows them to move from device to device, while knowing that the user experience will remain consistent and adapt when it needs to.
For private individuals, Ambient UX will eventually do everything from adjusting their thermostat to locking doors and dimming lights in the evening. The key is that this is all a process that feels natural to the user. The doors lock because that’s the routine before bed. The lights dim because someone is watching TV late in the evening. Users shouldn’t have to be continually fighting against what’s happening around them.
And that’s how Ambient UX needs to be for public safety officers. They shouldn’t have to feel like they’re fighting their communications or capabilities as they’re delivered. Getting a message on the radio, but also having it relayed over the phone a minute or two later is redundant and occupies attention. That’s what much of the push towards Ambient UX for officers is about—allowing them to focus more fully on their job without continuously pulling their attention away to multiple devices.
The U.S. has begun to pave the way for Ambient UX with FirstNet, the national wireless broadband network dedicated entirely to public safety. As FirstNet continues to move forward, it will provide public safety officials and officers with the interoperable system that they need.
It’s a complex feat to fully integrate all of the different devices, apps, and services that officers need to use, but the payoff can be tremendous.
At KOVA, we offer a number of different products and services that help public safety organizations meet the goals of Ambient UX. Our KEANS Service provides reliable, simultaneous communications between multiple agencies, partners, locations, and public-address systems.
For individual public safety officers and officials, our Silent Partner technology turns your phone into a recorder and helps capture all relevant data such as Caller ID, GPS location, and Dialed Digits. Silent Partner also offers speech analytics to help find trends and commonalities within recorded calls.
As technology continues to advance, it’s important that public safety officials are able to use it to enhance their work, instead of becoming frustrated by the overwhelming amount of tech they’re expected to use. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about simplifying and streamlining your communications.
