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EPOC User Interface

EPOC User Interface. Chapter by Nick Healey, Slash Design Presented by Sasha Giacoppo. EPOC “platform”. A custom written software “platform” (OS+apps) Designed for the Psion Series 5 PDA (ca. 1997), but based on the Series 3 PDA original fxnality

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EPOC User Interface

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  1. EPOC User Interface Chapter by Nick Healey, Slash Design Presented by Sasha Giacoppo

  2. EPOC “platform” • A custom written software “platform” (OS+apps) • Designed for the Psion Series 5 PDA (ca. 1997), but based on the Series 3 PDA original fxnality • Also intended for licensed use in other Information Appliances • “targeted at maximizing the speed of access to the information people wanted while mobile, while minimizing the amount of UI to learn”

  3. Designing EPOC • “support all the Series 3a’s functionality and build on it” • “large-scale field research…would have been impractical for a company of our size” • “All our ideas about usage patterns, key tasks, users’ conceptual models, and so on were informally generated by the company as a whole.”

  4. New additions WYSIWYG Database mgmt Flash disk support PC agenda sync Object embedding Omissions Multiple apps on screen Handwriting recognition Drag and drop Universal password protection Data compression Deciding on the software components of EPOC

  5. As it turns out… • “all fell by the wayside because they [the omitted apps] turned out, in our estimation, not to be quite as beneficial or practical” • “In our estimation”…an educated guess vs. scientific research…which would you rather rely on? • So, in mid-1995, “after a false start in 1994”, a year + later, an HCI design team was called in

  6. 1 Year+ later • HCI team brought in…because of “far too many major unknowns to make progress”, for reviewing the fxnality of the apps • Wrong thing to do, should’ve been there at the beginning! • Even after the HCI team was brought in, they still used “Thought Police” to make decisions • A lot of time/problems could have been avoided if a more scientific process had been laid…as opposed to the “shoot from the hip” method, which was documented (no less by the London Business School!)

  7. UI Design Principles in EPOC • Hide the Computer • Simple Language • Let users work their ways • Make the UI as Quick to Use as Possible • Make It Pleasant to Use • Protect the User

  8. Hide the Computer • Hide the system model • Ex. Save changes function • Novices don’t need to see it • Experts can find/understand/use them if they want to • Hide complex or scary things • Complex/rarely used/intimidating items are hidden on complex menus • Again, if a user wants them, they can find them

  9. Simple Language • Use English, avoid technical jargon • Meaningful error messages

  10. Let Users Work Their Ways • Don’t force one input method • Users can use screen or keyboard • Minimize the amount to learn • Consistent menu structures and dialogs across the platform • Avoid cluttering • Plug and Play • Let user’s customize it their way • (If they want to)

  11. Make the UI as Quick to Use as Possible • Require as few user actions as possible • Dedicated buttons • Display the desired info as fast as possible • Show as much of the user’s info as possible • Agenda squashes up empty time slots

  12. Make It Pleasant to Use • Don’t make the user feel stupid • Avoid blame-implying beeps • Try never to annoy the user • Delight the user • Record sound to set as alarm

  13. Protect the User • Don’t let users shoot themselves • Hidden archive • Think what might go wrong, at each stage

  14. Design Trade-offs in the EPOC UI • Market Position vs. Range of Use • Usability vs. Power • Standards vs. Usability

  15. Market Position vs. Range of Use • Cannot just add features without considering the effect on others • Application priority • Fun & games • Does more fxnality equate with market position??

  16. Usability vs. Power • Simple vs. Complex dialogs • Extent of toolbar functions • Does usability equate a decrease in power (for expert users)??

  17. Standards vs. Usability • Drag & Drop; Use of “file”; Templates • Deny usability for the sake of standards?

  18. What I think… • Interface design issues were “decided on” or “estimated” or “informally arrived at” • Considering this, the designers did a pretty good job (these are smart guys), but… • Solid HCI research could have provided definitive answers to many of the UI questions • Solid HCI procedures (e.g. incorporating HCI during planning) could have saved much time and many problems • Scientific methodologies could have provided quantitaive answers during trade-offs

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