Case Study

1. Consumer Devices Case Study

2. Introduction • 3D Input Device • Video Recording Devices • Mobile Communications

3. 3D Input Devices • Multiple degrees of freedom • Most devices give you 2 degrees • Usable, but non-natural for 3D applications • We want control of Z axis, and 3 axes of rotation • Several different input devices allow this • Data Glove • Spaceball

4. History of the Spaceball • Company founded in the late 1980s, Spaceball Technologies • Later renamed Spacetec IMC (Interactive Motion Control) • Later absorbed by Logitech, then spun off as 3DConnexions

5. How Does It Work? • Internal sensors detect displacements / torques along 3 different axes • Firmware converts into a sream of data, sent to the computer via serial interface • Data forwarded to "Spaceball aware" applications, which usually convert it into 3D translation / rotation vectors and move something in 3D visual space • Mappable function keys provide application-specific shortcuts

6. Applications • Mainly industrial CAD designers (automotive, aerospace) • Creative applications (3D Studio MAX) • PC Gaming • Hand-held version: SpaceOrb

7. How Well Does It Work? • Very well for CAD / creative apps • Natural mapping to the 3D world • Function keys facilitate bimanual input • Less well for games, but very subjective • Not great as a 2D pointing device • Slightly less effective than a joystick

8. Video Recording Devices • As televisions have fairly ubiquitous, time to watch what is shown has often grown less • 200 channels and nothing is on! • Starting in the 80s, a TV "peripheral" was introduced to solve these problems • Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)

9. Use Model of the Device • Goal: Record and playback of video • Task: Record video signals • Subtask: Allow scheduling of recordings • Task: Playback • Subtask: Searching of recorded "data"

10. Artifacts of the Model • Video Cassette: magnetic recordable media • Fast Forward and Reverse • Media only supports linear searching • Start and End of recording times • Lack of updatable data model required end users to retain lots of domain knowledge to correctly schedule • No error trapping

11. Who Cares About Cassettes? • The name is now also ubiquitous, but describes the relationship to the media • What if we recorded onto CD? DVD? Hard disk? • Next generation: Digital Video Recorder (DVR) • ReplayTV • DirectTV • TiVo (  Jeff says, Best toy EVER!)

12. Same Tasks, New Artifacts • Digital media, and integration of (also ubiquitous) computing technology allows for a whole new interface • Scheduling of recordings • Start and end times • Updatable database allows reduction of cognitive load: • Schedule by name ("Record Enterprise") instead of time • Automatic scheduling ("Record *all* episodes")

13. Same Tasks, New Artifacts • Searching • Fast forward and reverse • Digital format allows variable speeds • Non-linear traversal (jump to end of recording) • Output to “hard” media • Dump to VCR • Burn DVD • Email!

14. Interaction • User input accomplished using special purpose remote keypad • Up/down/left/right and enter keys • Essentially menu selection and limited form fillin

15. Task: Schedule Recording • Support recording by selecting times • Select programs by name

16. Task: Playback • Select program to playback • Improved searching

17. Digital Video Improvements • TiVo performs all the same tasks as its ancestor, and: • Reduces errors / memory load • Allows improved searching • Interface appears acceptable to users • Familiar (VCR) style • Menu traversal • Virtual keyboard

18. Mobile Communication • Most common: mobile voice (cell phones) • Also • Email • IM • Web browsing

19. Cell Phones • Task: Call someone • Subtask: enter the number to dial • Task: Answer incoming call • Artifacts: phone • This is all the early phones had, but new technologies have allowed more features to reduce cognitive load

20. Task: Call someone • Simple task, but lots of conditions • Nature of mobile device means we needs to know if it's possible to make a call (signal strength) • Artifact: signal meter • Household phones have supported speed-dial for years, users expect it • Artifact: method to setup speed dialing

21. Task: Call someone • Computing technology allows us to store and numbers, reducing the cognitive load • Artifacts: • setup / retrieve numbers • capture caller ID numbers • capture outgoing calls

22. Task: Answer incoming calls • Simple task, different conditions • Cell phones often used while driving. We want to reduce potential errors.... • Artifact: hands free capability

23. Additional 'Tasks' • Cell phone manufacturers are rushing to combine many other 'tasks' into their phone designs • Buy one device, not several • Pros: eliminates additional devices, plays to Geek Factor • Cons: single point of failure, conflicting modalities • Not a bad thing as long as the primary tasks aren't compromised • Early Palm Pilot phones were had a form factor that made it cumbersome as an actual phone

24. Product: Sanyo Flip-phone • Task: call someone • Enter numbers directly • Enter/retrieve numbers from phone book • Shortcut key to phonebook (reduce load, errors) • Speed dial • Voice dial

25. Product: Sanyo Flip-phone • Task: answer incoming call • One-touch answer • Hands free (requires external device) • Caller ID • Special rings/graphics per caller, so can easily decide to answer or not

26. Product: Sanyo Flip-phone • Additional tasks: • Voicemail (users require it) • Web browser • Downloadable content (apps, ringers) • Text messaging • Camera • Note: sound of picture being taken can’t be silenced. Why? • Calculator • Calendar

27. Product: Sanyo Flip-phone • Additional task support: • Menu selection, with shortcuts • Menu has a ‘Back’ option to repair errors • Early Nokia phones did not have this • Alphabetic entry via cell number keys • Awkward, but users accept it • Palm Pilot phone does better, but sacrifices form