Chances are you have overheard developers in your office talk about APIs, but you might have just shrugged it off as more boring tech talk or a vague Star Trek reference. What you might not know is that APIs are a technology architecture that is transforming the IT economy.

Determining the kind of product that's developed boils down to what the user wants. These days, end users are very vocal in sharing their feedback about a product—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Companies would do well to gather input efficiently, pay heed to the results, and then respond quickly.

While swiping and tapping icons and displays on screens is remarkable, there is no physical feeling the way there is with buttons and keys. But now that's changing: New developments in the field of tactile, or “haptic,” devices soon will let users feel textures on a flat touchscreen.