UCSD and advanced technology Chapter 10

By the end of this lecture you should... Be able to discuss technology and the future... –Based on The Invisible Computer by Don Norman Understand the life-cycle of technology Understand when, why and how does a technology change into something useful Think about what comes after the PC

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2006 From: XXXXXX Sent: 07 November :42 To: Subject: Making the screen live Dear colleagues, Can I please remind you that if you are looking up a student on the CSS and you are unable to find them you will need to make the screen live. To do this enter a query and then cancel the query, the tool bar will show `query cancelled'. Press F2,F2, 8 and you will get a drop down screen. Highlight the categories of status you think the students may appear under by pressing the enter key and moving down to the next category with the downward arrow. When you have completed this press F4 to commit. You should now be able to track down most of the students. A little word of warning, sometimes the computer will cancel this command and you will need to repeat the above process. Regards

Emerging human-computer interface technologies Desktops and laptops are still in, but –Tablet PCs, PDAs, Smart phones (video messaging & internet) are emerging –Each with its own niche in the market Tablet PC must support –Use of digital pen and –screen display must be such that the pen does not obscure critical elements PDA –Relative small screen, no peripherals Kiosks –Offering dedicated information service to public –Used by people with variety of skill, experience and ability Each form of hardware has different properties & functions – all need different interface designs to be usable

The invisible computer All the above-mentioned tools try to be everything for everybody = multipurpose information systems Donald Norman says this is bad –Execution of many functions badly –Inherently difficult to use because it supports a wide variety of functions Norman predicts the Invisible Computer (1998) –IT embedded in appliance that are not normally viewed as computers at all –E.g. telephone, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, machine – examples of single-function appliances

Pervasive / ubiquitous computing (Deurdringend / Alomteenwoordig) Research in this area Future computers to be embedded in everyday objects Other topics in this field –Distributed computing, mobile computing, sensor networks, HCI, AI IBM’s Planet Blue –Research project to connect existing technologies with a wireless infrastructure IT, however, not yet dominated by “invisible” information technology –Multi-function systems still very visible

Donald Norman An HCI ‘guru’ Founder of Norman Nielsen Group Edited the book: –User Centred System Design (1985) which is still very important today Author of lots of popularising texts: –The psychology of everyday things –Things that make us smart –The Invisible Computer

Norman’s thesis: Summary Good products sometimes fail –Because of complexity PCs are too complex –PCs are fundamentally complex and difficult to use ‘Information appliances’ are the solution = “something that does the job of a computer (i.e. processes information) but invisibly and in a much more focussed way” Therefore don’t need new ideas about better designed PCs......but something better than PCs –‘Information appliances’

What makes a good product? Good technology –Betamax vs VHS for recording video data –Betamax was the better format but VHS is used because of usability VHS tapes 2 hours, Betamax 1 hour More pre-recorded films available on VHS Good marketing –Boo.com, an e-commerce clothing retailer went out of business despite $30 m advertising campaign –Good looking website but over-complicated and slow to download: it took at least minutes to buy something Good usability –Good usability does not guarantee success, e.g. –MS Office bad usability but world leader Successful product needs all three –Explain example of 3-legged stool that has to stand on a solid business case

Product success… Product Business case Is the product actually needed? Good technology Good marketing Good usability

PCs are too complex… A PC is supposed to be good at everything (general – purpose) …but excellent at everything? –Trying doing everything makes them complex & difficult to use Norman argues: –Because PCs are general purpose, they force us to do things in uncomfortable, inelegant & difficult ways –In general, the less the product offers, the easier it is to use The HCI maxim: Know your user! –But if the users are everyone, how is this possible?

General purpose information processor One device that does everything - It has been done… the PC : –read your s, write a play, edit photographs, model 3D images, work out your finances, model the airflow over a wing on your prototype aeroplane, etc –All only using keyboard, 2D screen and mouse Given a complex task, we make our PCs single purpose… –Writing an academic paper; PC becomes a typewriter –Programming; More than one PC used, one for writing the program, one for the online manuals, etc

Illustrating with examples Synthesisers: –General–purpose machines good at producing any sound –They do it well, but not excellent –Compare with pianos – single purpose, but doing so excellently Early computer (Macs): –Were extremely usable (easy to use), but not very powerful –Could do a few things but did them well Radio: –Compare listening to a radio station on a radio and using audio streaming on a PC General purpose clothing –Design a single piece of general purpose clothing It can be used as shirt, trousers, skirt, shoes, hat and overcoat –It can be done… Less than elegant; not comfortable or easy to slip in

Therefore … According to Donald Norman: The less the product offers, the easier it is to use.

PCs are marketed at technophiles / early adopters Technophiles/ early adopters –Buy new technology as soon as it becomes available (they like complexity and challenge of working out how something works) –PC sales targeted at technophiles – sold according to how good the technology is –512 MB better than 256 MB, 2.4 GHz better than 1.2 Hz, etc. –It seems twice as good, but can you do twice as much / twice as fast? Technophiles / early adopters <> mass market –Most people do not like complexity – have better things to do than to figure things out –Cheap appliances sold once, last for years –Huge market size –Backed up by sale of content and services

PCs are marketed at technophiles / early adopters (continued) Transition from marketing to early adopters to marketing to everyone else is slow and risky The PC business model –Sell lots of computers and software –Built in obsolescence –Hardware and software to be updated every year –Vicious circle: software ‘fills’ the hardware capability

Information appliances Information appliances = “something that does the job of a computer (i.e. processes information), but doing it invisibly and in a much more focussed way” Characteristics of information appliances 1.Single purpose Does one thing, but excellently 2.Hidden technology Underlying technology should be hidden to user Needs to know what it does, hot how 3.Allows free interchange of information One appliance should transfer and accept information from other appliances without user worrying about compatible formats Data produced by one appliance can be easily transferred to another appliance All companies should use the same or interchangeable formats (open source) 4.‘Serendipitous flexibility’ The user (not the designer) can choose how to put several information appliances together to make a new system Connect appliances of any kind in any sequence Examples See example on pp.163

Different types of input devices Input devices enhance the performance of a system –Keyboards Ergonomic, Mini, On-screen, Infrared keyboard projected on any flat surface –Mouse Mechanical, optical, cordless, left-hand, RSI –Trackballs, Touch pads, Pointing sticks –Joysticks and wheels More suitable to rapid response tasks (games) –Light pen Useful when system is icon-based, space is limited, cannot touch with hands, e.g. health practitioners or people working with chemicals –Digital pen and graphics tablet Architects and graphical designers Intuitively acceptable, no substitute for artistic ability

Different types of input devices (2) –Touch screen Information kiosks Advantages / Disadvantages? –Voice and audio input Alternative to keyboard input Applicable: phone-based, psychomotor disabilities Good quality microphone essential Training necessary, although continuous speech accepted Voice input is subset of audio input –Other Digital cameras, webcams, video-conferencing, scanners, OCR, barcode scanners, terminals Biometrics: Fingerprint scanners, face recognition, voice verification, signature verification, smart cards storing biometric data – all for security purposes

Output devices Screens –CRT vs. FST and plasma: Space-saving and less eye stress eBooks –Download text from the Internet and display and conveniently sized screen Electronic papers –What is this? Interactive TV –Furnishing TV with processing power –HCI considerations User sit further away Multiple users at once TV is seen as entertainment rather than work –Screens cannot be packed with info, different metaphors to be used, more appropriate interaction ways

Output devices (2) Self-monitoring system –Systems should be self-monitoring without being impossible or dangerous to deploy –People not removed, but involved in different way –System must be able to repair itself in a hostile environment, e.g. moon rover craft stumbling over a rock –Virus detection and removing –UPS: Protection system with reserve software and power –RAID: Duplication of data and automated switchover in event of hardware failure

Summary... Computers are information processors Most people don’t want ‘information processed’ –They want to write a letter, take a photo, etc. The future is information appliances