Design Considerations for Information Appliances Ketan Babaria Human Computer Interaction Lab
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Transcript Design Considerations for Information Appliances Ketan Babaria Human Computer Interaction Lab
Design Considerations for
Information Appliances
Information Appliances and Beyond
By Eric Bergman
Ketan Babaria
Human Computer Interaction Lab
University of Maryland
Where we will go today ??
Information Appliances : The definition
Design Considerations
Challenges ahead
What are information
appliances ?
An information appliance is a
computer enhanced consumer device
dedicated to a restricted cluster of
task.
Or simply..
It’s an electronic device that performs only a
few tasks but does them efficiently and with
little effort from the user.
So…
PDAs are information appliances while
Computers are not
Other examples
– Microwave
– TV Set-Top Box
– Screen phones
Characteristics of information
appliances
Limited purpose and functionality
Not necessarily extensible or upgradeable
Replacement expectation
Perceived as less expensive than PCs
Perceived as less complicated to run and
maintain versus PCs
Very easy to learn and use
No expectation of expert user
Why new interface..
Audience reach
– Very wide base of consumers
– Minimal computer experience
High level of specialization
Design Considerations for
information appliances
Define your domain
Entertainment
– Interaction with content is the most important
factor. User experience is paramount.
– Task completion time is not a critical factor
Information access and Communication
– Ease of learning is important
– Efficiency is critical
Assistant devices
– Same as information access and communication
Design dedicated user interfaces
Integrate user interface with I/O,
applications and other system
characteristics
Predictability more important than
consistency or efficiency !!
Allocate functions properly
Distribute functions between hardware and
software
– Frequency of use
• Assign very visible and easily accessible location in
hardware/software
– Importance of use
• Ensure simplicity
Simplify
Follow 80/20 rule
Optimize user interface around those 20%
of functions
Limit the choices available at the same time
provide reasonable defaults
Design for responsiveness
All operations should be immediately
interruptible (no dialogue boxes)
Provide continuous feedback
Design Consideration sum up
Define your domain
Design dedicated user interfaces
Allocate functions properly
Simplify
Design for responsiveness
Challenges
Infinite types of user interfaces ?
Is the product too general/too specific ?