Comments on: Handheld Interaction Design - (why context is important) http://bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/ The truth (in SmallDoses) Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:03:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: SmallDoses » Blog Archive » Google Android and the perils of software by committee http://bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/#comment-42090 SmallDoses » Blog Archive » Google Android and the perils of software by committee Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:43:45 +0000 http://www.bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/#comment-42090 [...] segment is obviously very appealing to Google and the potential for advertising on devices that are context aware is huge, understandably Google wants to develop a platform that allows them to serve ads more [...] [...] segment is obviously very appealing to Google and the potential for advertising on devices that are context aware is huge, understandably Google wants to develop a platform that allows them to serve ads more [...]

]]> By: Larry Irons http://bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/#comment-561 Larry Irons Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:01:17 +0000 http://www.bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/#comment-561 The importance of context to mobile communication devices is not debatable. However, the ability of engineers to develop context-aware devices that can automatically make decisions for users based on current location is certainly debatable. Not only do I think it is a bad idea, because a location is more than a location and is typically a place in which what is happening and how it is happening gets negotiated by people in communication. Rules governing interaction do not map to locations. Think about all the places you treat like your office. The overall approach to location-aware computing is best considered in light of research in embodied interaction, like that of Paul Dourish, or the considerations given to cultural practices as infrastructures, just as important as hardware infrastructure for mobile communication devices, like you see in the research of the People and Practices Research group at Intel. The importance of context to mobile communication devices is not debatable. However, the ability of engineers to develop context-aware devices that can automatically make decisions for users based on current location is certainly debatable. Not only do I think it is a bad idea, because a location is more than a location and is typically a place in which what is happening and how it is happening gets negotiated by people in communication. Rules governing interaction do not map to locations. Think about all the places you treat like your office. The overall approach to location-aware computing is best considered in light of research in embodied interaction, like that of Paul Dourish, or the considerations given to cultural practices as infrastructures, just as important as hardware infrastructure for mobile communication devices, like you see in the research of the People and Practices Research group at Intel.

]]> By: Tucker Snedeker http://bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/#comment-542 Tucker Snedeker Thu, 21 Sep 2006 05:35:41 +0000 http://www.bellubbi.com/wordpress/2006/08/14/handheld-interaction-design-why-context-is-important/#comment-542 Interesting concepts. I too would love to see this sort of advance design in mobile but believe it’s a long way off. That said I think that the mobile industry as a whole still needs to nail the basics before moving on to more advanced concepts like this. Although UI’s and hardware intereface designs are getting better, they still leave a lot to be desired. Applications are still largely silo’s with poor workflow integration necessary for mass market usability. IMHO attempts to automate tasks such as the concepts described above sound neat but only lead to more confusion. The real answer is making work flows easier and more intuitively to control their devices. Usability testing is not emphasised enough today and many mobile software platforms are inflexible to institute even simple changes. This needs to change. On the web, we’ve all become accustome to platforms where you can update a website in hours or even minutes. With mobile handsets, interface and application changes require 9-12 months of planning for most handset functions. These are fundamental flaws in the foundation of interaction design for mobile that need to be solved before more advanced concepts can be realistically added to the mix. Interesting concepts. I too would love to see this sort of advance design in mobile but believe it’s a long way off.

That said I think that the mobile industry as a whole still needs to nail the basics before moving on to more advanced concepts like this. Although UI’s and hardware intereface designs are getting better, they still leave a lot to be desired. Applications are still largely silo’s with poor workflow integration necessary for mass market usability. IMHO attempts to automate tasks such as the concepts described above sound neat but only lead to more confusion. The real answer is making work flows easier and more intuitively to control their devices. Usability testing is not emphasised enough today and many mobile software platforms are inflexible to institute even simple changes. This needs to change. On the web, we’ve all become accustome to platforms where you can update a website in hours or even minutes. With mobile handsets, interface and application changes require 9-12 months of planning for most handset functions. These are fundamental flaws in the foundation of interaction design for mobile that need to be solved before more advanced concepts can be realistically added to the mix.

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