The usability problem for home appliances: engineers caused it, engineers can fix it!

Abstract

Ordinary people already have great difficulty using the advanced features of digitally enabled household appliances, and the problem grows worse with time as more customization and programming features are added. This usability problem cannot be solved using the tiny displays and limited control buttons typically found on such devices. In this talk I will describe a new type of collaborative interface in which the appliance actively helps the user, especially with complex features that are only used occasionally. This interface provides a consistent and pervasive mechanism for answering the who-what-where-when-why-how questions that often cause users to consult a manual, call a help line, or simply give up. A crucial aspect of the interface architecture is the use of home networking to share a physically large and computationally powerful display among multiple appliances. Why is this a relevant talk for a software-engineering conference? A contributing factor to the usability crisis is the dominance of engineers in product design at many companies. The development of more-usable devices requires a broader conception of engineering that includes interaction design, artificial intelligence, and human factors - at a minimum. I will describe how these disciplines can complement traditional electrical and software engineering in the context of attempting to solve a commercially significant real-world problem.