Sv: Multiple interfaces - a concrete example

Hi,

> I'd like to offer a concrete example of a case where multiple interfaces are
> used today in commercial practice, and where a single interface would be a
> worse solution.

In my view this example does not cover the discussion on weather one single system with the user changing things locally is best, or if the designer should create a number of different sollutions from the designers or the designers user profiles at best or any less than that in most cases. In my understanding of this issue we are talking about systems that uses the same media at least for the time beeing, to be specific a web page that has different versions the classic text only idea, or worse newer ways such as taking decitions not known by the user based on the users past actions e.g. by placing a cookie on the machine belonging to the user. The big issue here is in my view if the designers have the time, the ressources and the knowledge to take over the important task of designing a UA that will work for most people. As we agree on designers will design for a scenario meaning an ideal situation with a standardized user with standardized prefferences. As I have argued earlier  I find that I often behave nprodictable and often not rationally. This ensures that even the best user scenarios and the usability tests that are never carried out anyway will not stand a chance to optimize anything close to my realworld situation. Finally user profiles or user scenarios tend to be static and it is not taken into concideration that we live in changing invironments that we have changing needs according to where we are and what we are doing, it is not only the  physical environment that can change rapidly but also the roles we act in. Part of the day you are at work and sometime another part of the day you are acting in other roles, roles that create different information needs. 

Claus
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Cynthia Shelly <cyns@whatuwant.net>
To: W3c-Wai-Gl@W3. Org (E-mail) <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2000 1:56 PM
Subject: Multiple interfaces - a concrete example


> I'd like to offer a concrete example of a case where multiple interfaces are
> used today in commercial practice, and where a single interface would be a
> worse solution.
> 
> My bank offers customers direct access to their account information.  This
> information is stored in a giant database somewhere, and I am able to access
> it via two entirely separate interfaces.  
> 
> One is a Web site, with a fairly typical 3-box table based layout, HTML
> forms, graphical buttons, etc.  It has a lot of information on a single
> screen.  Each form has 5-10 fields.  It has a persistant navigation bar at
> the top, and another down the left side.  It's pretty and friendly, with
> lots of colorful graphics, backgrounds, and branding elements that tie it to
> the rest of the bank's promotional material.  This interface is optimized
> for sighted users with limited computer experience using version 4 browsers
> on desktop computers.  From a usability standpoint, it is a pretty good
> example of an interface optimized for that audience.
> 
> The second is a menu-based automated telephone response system, allowing
> selection of menu items via voice or touch-tone.  Each voice "screen" offers
> a menu of 2-5 choices ("press or say 1 for deposits, 2 for withdrawls, 0 to
> speak to an operator"), or asks for a single piece of input ("please enter
> your checking account number, followed by the pound sign"), or reads some
> information ("ATM withdrawl, October 5, $40.00").  The system uses recorded
> voice for all it's prompts, and assembles strings of numbers from recorded
> elements.  This interface is optimized for voice interaction, and it is also
> a pretty usable example.
> 
> Now, I submit that replacing the telephone interface with a screen reader
> reading the Web site in a synthesized voice would make for a worse interface
> to the data than the existing voice system, *even if* the Web site were AAA
> compliant.  I also submit that replacing the Web site with a plain-text
> heirarchical menuing system (the text version of the telephone system) would
> make it a worse and less usable interface for many people (including
> sighted, cognitively disabled people). The user of the voice system won't
> know that there was a pretty picture of a mouse on the Web site, but he do
> know his bank balance. I don't think it's possible to design a single
> interface that works as well for both modalities as the optimized interfaces
> work for each.  
> 
> This isn't a novel idea, or even my idea.  According to T.V. Raman,
> "applications that _talk_ and _listen_ need to be designed from the start to
> take advantage of the spoken medium; spoken interaction is _different_ from
> and in may ways _complimentary_ to traditional visual interaction."
> (Auditory User Interfaces, pg 1. _emphasis_ interpreted from print-version
> italics)  The technology exists right now to allow users to pick an
> interface that is designed for their modality.  This is a GoodThing.
> 
>

Received on Thursday, 2 November 2000 00:06:37 UTC