For decades, the foundation of digital experience has been the “path.” We obsessed over the user journey: semi-rigid, linear steps that shepherd a person from point A to point B. We built maps, defined flows, and constructed menus. But there’s always been a flaw in that architecture: humans don’t think in straight lines.
That friction is becoming impossible to ignore as the center of gravity shifts away from the smartphone. We’re entering the era of the mainstream wearable, a format where traditional interaction models start to fall apart. If you’re a marketer, product lead, or designer, your carefully crafted funnels and in‑app journeys are about to matter less than how good your product is at holding a conversation.
