Transcript To Err is Human Computational Limits to Human Thinking : Implications for the Design of Human Centered Interfaces Raj Reddy Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA.

To Err is Human
Computational Limits to Human Thinking :
Implications for the Design of Human Centered Interfaces
Raj Reddy
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
January 21, 2010
www.rr.cs.cmu.edu
Outline of Talk
 Limitations of Current Interfaces from the
Perspective of Cognitive Science
 Missing Science of Multimedia Interfaces
 Interfaces for Enabling Access to the Five Billion
people at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Outline of Talk
 Limitations of Current Interfaces from the
Perspective of Cognitive Science
 Missing Science of Multimedia Interfaces
 Interfaces for Enabling Access to the Five Billion
people at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Human Strengths and Human Limitations
Lessons from Cognitive Science
 Strengths: People
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communicate using speech and natural language
tolerate errorful, ambiguous and imprecise input
exploit vast amounts of knowledge
learn from the environment
 Limitations: People
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make errors
tend to forget
become impatient
tend to be lazy
To Err Is Human
• Problem:
– Catastrophic loss of data: “I didn’t mean to do that ”
– Unanticipated side-effects: “how did that happen??”
• Causes:
– Sensory, Cognitive and Motor overload
– Information Overload: “Like being in a traffic jam”
– Timing Errors: Simplify the task
• Present Solutions:
– Partial Undo
– Dialog Boxes
• Future Opportunities:
• Unlimited Undo
• Anytime Anywhere Abort
• DWIM (Do What I Mean)
To Forget Is Human
• Problem:
– A non-expert occasional user can’t be expected to
remember the details
• Causes:
– Forgetting is the loss of indexing structure
– Redundancy in the indexing structure is the key
• Present Solutions:
– Recognition vs. recall: GUIs and Menus
– On-line manuals
• Future Opportunities:
• Use of color, fonts, voice responses for focusing attention
• Intelligent Help
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• “How do I” and “What if” MultiMedia documentation
“Reference librarian” agent
To be Impatient Is Human
• Problem:
– Time to get the answer in interactive problem solving
• Long Start-up and Shutdown Times
• Network operations: Unpredictable retrieval and browsing times
• Present Solutions:
– Hour glasses and wheels
• No idea how long it will take
– Progress bars
• Future Opportunities:
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Updates in the background
Learn from experience: self-aware systems
Look ahead retrieval and computation
Hurry-up algorithms
To be Lazy Is Human
• Problem:
– Most people use a minimal subset of functionality in Word,
PowerPoint, etc.
– Most people avoid tasks requiring too much cognitive effort
• PGP - too much work
• FTP - too complex
• Causes
– Principle of Least Effort
• Future opportunities:
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Advice giving agents that look over your shoulder
Just-in-time learning
Gentle slope systems: Easy Things should be Easy to Do
Agents (wizards!) that know about PGP, FTP, or whatever
 Missing Science of Multimedia Interfaces
Missing Science of Multimedia Interfaces
Lessons from Flash Forward Video
• SILKy Interfaces
• Speech, Image, Language and Knowledge
• Forgiving Interfaces: Tolerate error and ambiguity
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– “You Bet” --- “Did That Mean Yes?”
Self Improving Interfaces: Incremental non-intrusive
knowledge acquisition
• “Darn” --- “Would you Care to Define It?”
• Intelligent Help, Advice and Tutoring
– “ Enthusiasm Detected --- Care to View Large Screen?”
• Intelligent Agents
– Mail Serve: Junk Mail
– Communications: Telephone Tag
– Intelligent Tutoring Tools
– Agent Creation Technology
 Interfaces for Enabling Access to the Five Billion
people at the Bottom of the Pyramid
User Interfaces
for Rural Environments
• Low cost PC: target of less than $100
• A Multifunction Information Appliance: PCtvt
– PCtvt: TV, PVR, Video Phone, IP Phone and PC
• PCs for consumption, not creation
– For Most People in a Village, Entertainment and
Communication are of Greater Importance than
PC Functionality
PCtvt UI Design
for Use by Illiterate Persons
• An Illiterate person needs a more powerful PC than
a Microsoft employee
– If not e-mail, use voice-mail
– Replace Text Help by Video Help
• Radically simple design
– One minute learning time
– Two click model
– Three modes of communication: Video, Audio and Text
– Both Synchronous and Asynchronous
• All-Iconic interfaces
• Multiple input modalities
– TV-remote, Speech I/O, Keyboard, Mouse or Cell phone
Mapping TV Remote to Iconic Screen Layout
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BACK
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MENU
OK
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TV Menu
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Video Phone Menu
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OK
OK
The Unfinished Research Agenda
 Add Features to Assist in Overcoming Human
Limitations such as “Unlimited Undo”, Instant On
and Off, and Multimedia Help.
 WIMPy to SILKy: Move Towards Intelligent
Multimedia Interfaces
 Eliminate Language Divide and Literacy Divide in
Future Systems: Interfaces that Enable Access to
People at the Bottom of the Pyramid