ERIC BERGMAN

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

The design requirements for special-purpose interactive products are inherently different from computer "desktop" software design requirements. Creating the user experience for information appliances and related products requires the same interaction design processes as computer software, but the design trade-offs and issues change. Some differences are evident with little consideration. Certainly the intended users typically have even less interest in the underlying technologies than many PC users. Interaction designers and usability specialists must carefully consider and craft the relationship between hardware and software. Output and input methods are often different than in a desktop computer. Output might come via audio, phone-size screens, televisions, and other means not often seen on typical PCs. Input devices may include TV remote controls, touch screens, telephone keypads, or even furry feet on a child's plush toy!

These are only a few examples of input and output drawn from a much larger set. This range of possibilities suggests that differences among information appliances can be as great or greater than the differences between any given information appliance and a PC. This diversity should be no surprise. After all, an information appliance is called an "appliance" for the same reason as a dishwasher or washing machine. These are devices designed to accomplish a narrow set of tasks. The washing machine washes, but it is ill-suited for washing dishes. The washing task shared by these appliances becomes irrelevant because agitation is required to clean clothes, but that same agitation will shatter dishes.