Imagine a world where technology anticipates your needs, creating seamless and tailored experiences based on the unique context surrounding your prompt. Remember that struggle of convincing Netflix you’re not asleep during your latest binge session? Imagine instead an interface that not only stays awake with you but actively caters to your post-binge cravings. Feeling drained after an epic fantasy adventure? Your homepage transforms into a soothing meditation app. Craving a pick-me-up after a drama? Your interface recommends feel-good comedies.  
 
With the rise of multimodal generative AI, user interfaces (aka UI) are evolving. A world where interfaces can predict trends and anticipate personalized consumer needs is seemingly more possible with the evolution into real-time user interfaces or RTUIs. This future of interfaces is known by various other names like:  

• Dynamic user interfaces (DUI) 

• Adaptive user interfaces (AUI) 

• Generative user interfaces (GUI)  

• Context-aware user interfaces (CAUI)  
   

Whatever term you prefer, this evolution will integrate into our daily lives and represent a new era of user experience, enabling technology to work for us—enhancing our activities and increasing efficiency. These platforms adapt to the user’s preferences and situation. Systems like Gemini and GPT-4o are examples. They can accept prompts in multiple modalities (text, speech, images), generate content in various formats and even create user interfaces that can adapt to the situation and special needs of the user. Brands looking to craft digital experiences for their audiences should take heed of the RTUI storm brewing on the horizon—one that will fundamentally change how we design and build user interfaces.  

 
What Are RTUIs and Why Do We Care? 

So, what exactly are RTUIs? They’re born from a sophisticated tech garden that humans have been building for the past 30 years. Think of them as the love child of frameworks, libraries, design systems, content modeling and asset management. Gone are the days of static interfaces; we’re entering a dynamic new world. 

Take, for example, an apartment-hunting app that transforms your search through intuitive and personalized interactions. With RTUIs, a single prompt can unlock a cascade of tailored features: customized visualizations and design options for each room, a budget-based cost analysis, or even an immersive audio tour as you explore the neighborhood.  

Built on both large language and multimodal models, the possibilities of RTUIs are vast and within our reach today. 

Benefits for Brands 

• Competitive Advantage: Imagine crafting unique UI elements on the fly, catering to specific user needs or the ever-evolving market conditions. RTUI empowers brands to be hyper-responsive and deliver truly personalized experiences. 
   

• Operational Efficiency: RTUI streamlines the design and development process. Think of it as an assembly line for UIs, where components are generated and assembled in real time. This translates to faster turnaround times, reduced costs and staying ahead of trends.  
   

• Scalability: RTUI makes scaling your UI a breeze. Need to adapt your interface for a new market or language? No problem! RTUI allows for dynamic adjustments, ensuring your brand experience stays consistent across all frontiers. 

The Four Phases of the RTUI Revolution 

The transition to RTUI won’t happen overnight. Think of it as cultivating a thriving garden—it requires patience, the right tools and a bit of strategic planning. Just as you wouldn’t expect to plant a seed and wake up to a full-grown tree, developing an RTUI ecosystem takes time and careful nurturing. Here’s a roadmap outlining the key phases: 

Phase 1: Tool Enhancement 

First, let’s talk tools. We’re already seeing a wave of design tools like Uizard.io and Figma Visual Co-Pilot (Builder.io) emerging and gaining a quick following. These tools bridge the gap between design and development by allowing designers to create UIs with prompts and generate basic code that fits into your chosen framework. While these advancements are significant, we are barely scratching the surface of what’s possible.  

Phase 2: Process Transformation 

We’re moving into an era where you can generate UI through text-to-design-to-code. The lines between design and development are starting to blur, broadening roles in UX/UI but strengthening collaborations in these spaces. Remember how designers and developers seemed to drift apart over the last decade? Well, RTUIs are bringing them back together, pushing each other to new creative heights.   

Phase 3: Real-Time UI Generation 

Gone are the days of pre-building static interfaces. Phase 3 involves building UIs in real time, based on user behavior and data. This requires a change in workflow. We need to move from building pre-defined digital structures to cultivating a “garden” of UI components that can grow and adapt spontaneously to the needs of the brand.  

Phase 4: Personalized AI in Real Time 

The final phase takes personalization to a whole new level. Imagine AI tailoring the UI to each individual user in real time, anticipating their needs and offering a truly customized experience. This isn’t just the future; it’s the ultimate way to boost engagement and conversions. 

Brands that embrace this transformative technology will be at the forefront of delivering exceptional user experiences. The RTUI garden is blooming right before our eyes.

Is your team ready to embrace it and are you ready for a partner that can help your brand leverage generative AI strategies? Email Nate Tredinnick at ntredinnick@hiebing.com to set up a call.