Graphical User Interfaces have transformed dramatically since personal computers first became accessible to the general public. The 1984 Macintosh and Windows 95 introduced a visual way of interacting with computers, using windows, icons, menus and pointers (WIMP), replacing the need to understand complex texts that only engineers could operate. Through this change, computers became intuitive and user-friendly.
While today’s systems such as macOS Sonoma and Windows 11 have evolved into gesture-based environments with AI tools like Siri, the core structure ultimately remains the same: simple, visual and human-centered.
Now that technology has advanced, the design patterns of interaction have remained largely unchanged. As a result, GUIs need to become more intelligent and adaptive. They should be able to anticipate user needs by recognizing context and routines, such as suggesting frequently used apps based on the time of day or adjusting text size automatically when a user struggles to click small buttons.
The next step for GUIs is to be context-aware, predictive and proactive.