General and Specific Interfaces: Experiences with a Multimedia Platform

Tradeoffs have always existed between a consistent, widely-used interface and interfaces optimized for specific purposes. However, the balance may be shifting toward a focus on specialized interfaces due to increased capabilities of software and rising expectations of users. We illustrate these effects through the description of a multimedia annotation system deployed in a series of laboratory and field studies. Laboratory studies identified more generic problems and guided general improvements. Field studies invariably identified context-specific requirements that presented challenges for a general interface. These studies have implications for the designers and users of multimedia systems and suggest a broader trend away from applications and toward platforms.

[1]  Gerhard Fischer,et al.  Programmable design environments: integrating end-user programming with domain-oriented assistance , 1994, CHI '94.

[2]  Anders I. Mørch,et al.  Three levels of end-user tailoring: customization, integration, and extension , 1997 .

[3]  Jonathan Grudin.  The Computer Reaches out: The Historical Continuity of Interface Design , 1989 .

[4]  D. Yoffie.  Apple computer 1992 , 2002 .

[5]  David Bargeron,et al.  Asynchronous collaboration around multimedia and its application to on-demand training , 2001, Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[6]  A. A. Bielskis,et al.  Macintosh human interface guidelines , 1992 .

[7]  Gerhard Fischer,et al.  End-user modifiability in design environments , 1990, CHI '90.

[8]  Jonathan Grudin,et al.  Language evolution and human-computer interaction , 1991 .

[9]  Steven P. Reiss,et al.  Connecting tools using message passing in the Field environment , 1990, IEEE Software.

[10]  Paul Dourish,et al.  Developing a reflective model of collaborative systems , 1995, TCHI.

[11]  Larry Masinter,et al.  The Interlisp Programming Environment , 1981, Computer.

[12]  Karen Holtzblatt,et al.  Contextual design , 1997, INTR.

[13]  Peter Bøgh Andersen.  Elastic Systems , 2001, INTERACT.

[14]  Jonathan Grudin,et al.  Fostering Engagement in Asynchronous Learning through Collaborative Multimedia Annotation , 2001, INTERACT.

[15]  Wendy E. Mackay,et al.  Users and customizable software : a co-adaptive phenomenon , 1990 .

[16]  David Bargeron,et al.  Annotations for Streaming Video on the Web: System Design and Usage Studies , 1999, Comput. Networks.

[17]  Jonathan Grudin,et al.  The computer reaches out: the historical continuity of interface design , 1989, CHI '90.

[18]  J. Grudin,et al.  Design Models for Computer-Human Interfaces , 1996, Computer.

[19]  Gregory D. Abowd,et al.  Teaching and learning as multimedia authoring: the classroom 2000 project , 1997, MULTIMEDIA '96.