By: Kaisa Vaananen-Vainio-Mattila, Satu Ruuska
Review by: Irina Ceaparu

 initially - strategic communication devices
 designed for durability, difficult interaction
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1980’s - become consumer products
 phones - basic comm. device that deals with text- and voice- based comm. services
 communicators - advanced comm. devices
(multimedia comm. capabilities, personal assistant tasks)

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1 st wide-area cellular net – Nordic Mobile
Telecommunication (Scandinavia) necessary cond. for a product to be part of a lifestyle:
- externally driven => socially accepted
- stable => rationally accepted evolution: “serious” tool (military), business tool, consumer product (e.90s-Finland, Sweden, UK) personalization => adaptation to consumers’ lifestyle cultural background => adoption of new device (language, mental model, personal safety issues)

 Quality of use = the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals in a specified context of use with
 - effectiveness
 - efficiency
 - satisfaction
 Context of use = characteristics of the users, tasks and the organizational and physical environments

 ideally, being mobile should remain transparent to the user
 in reality, diff. interactions/presentations options depend of the context of use:
- mobile infrastructure context
- physical context
- social context

Infrastructure context
no or bad network coverage
low communication bandwidth
Physical context Social context
wireless use
noisy surroundings
unstable and varying usage position
moving environment
environmental factors
need to collaborate
/share info
need to keep interaction paths short and quiet
need for privacy
need to differentiate oneself from other users

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Purpose of usage scenarios:
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Make work practices more concrete
 Identify areas for improvement
 Identify critical tasks
 Tasks–smooth flow, flexible for switches and interruptions
 Common tasks + flexibility + customizability
 Classification of tasks based on frequency of use:
 Very critical (done under pressure)
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Critical (done frequently)
 Medium frequency/pressure
 Not frequent/not under pressure

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HCI in PC applications:
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Direct manipulation
 Multimedia (visual+audio+VR)
 Groupwork support (shared doc., real-time meeting)
 Standard UI platforms and P/L
HCI in interactive applications:
 Indirect manipulation
 Small displays
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Miniaturized and monolithic form factor of terminal
 Lack of UI standards and conventions

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Challenges
Indirect manipulation
Input - Seq. of button presses
Feedback – tactile, audio, visual (text, graphic)
Small display, brief terminology
No direct mapping, hierarchy of functions
Alpha input
One-hand/hands-free usage
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Solutions
Ordering/prioritizing menus by critical functions
Offering shortcuts
Limited amount of dedicated buttons
Flexible task flow
T9 writing method
Headsets/speech UI
Larger displays, improved tactile feedback

Benefits over basic phones:
 Larger screen area
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More complete keyboards and more softkeys
Two-handed use
Challenges:
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Quick easy access to frequent/critical tasks
Smooth task flow
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Media design
Flexibility(switching, undoing,backtracking)
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Transparency of the underlying technology
Personalization of UI and device

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Requirement Analysis:
 Usage contexts cannot all be anticipated=>more resources to understand user needs
 first-time /experienced user requirements
 professional/leisure time requirements
Design + Iterative evaluation
Concept
Design
Interaction
Design
Visual
Design
Industrial
Design
-fulfill specific needs
not limit target market
innovative but match resources
not too many navigation and control alternatives
optimal input methods
customization
increase visuality
- “where I am, where can I go, what is available”
-ergonomic research
-studies of aesthetics

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Data gathering
Concept Creation:
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Data analysis
 Scenario and task building
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First designs
Concept Evaluation:
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Usability tests/Contextual interviews with paper prototypes
 Design iterations
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Simulation tests + expert evaluations
Testing with functional HW prototypes

 Participatory design methodologies:
 Usability evaluations
 Walkthroughs
 Contextual interviews
 Focus groups
 New method: Contextual Inquiry – gathers insight into users’ work context and life

 Third Generation Services
 Online Mobile Video Conferencing
 Location-Based Information Services
 Seamless Connectivity between Devices
 Symbian – Platform for usable and utilizable mobile application
 Future user needs: quality of service, interaction, new functionality