Abstract

ferent interactive systems designs. For the first we compare two versions of a graphical operating system: we suggest that the changes between the versions indicate that the designers recognised the problems we discuss, but that their solutions are cosmetic. A more formal approach to design would have resulted in deeper solutions. The second example is more baffling: a microwave cooker whose user interface design has been unchanged for several years. We find that, again, the manufacturers recognise the interface problem we identify --- but their approach is not to change the interface itself but to change user manuals. This is more clearly a purely cosmetic solution. We know that design is difficult (we discuss this more fully below); the case studies we give here suggest that that poor initial design is not fixed at a later stage. We subsequently show that many problems are anyway too subtle to be detected by practical experiments (hence iterative design is insufficient). It is also

Citations