Our many screens are becoming the lens through which we interpret the world and are heavily influencing the design of our offline, tech-enabled services. The supposition is that we want to do more through our phones and less with person-to-person interaction; which reinforces the great temptation businesses have to create value by replacing humans in favor of automation.
For example, we may agree an attentive, engaging waiter would be preferred while dining at New York’s finest restaurant. But on most days it feels more convenient to order dinner through an app to avoid talking to a human being altogether. Restaurants at JFK airport now allow travelers to interact with an iPad — and only an iPad — to order a pre-flight sandwich and coffee. And to a busy traveler, perhaps one less conversation feels like a welcome relief.