SIG: The Role of Usability in Input Device Design and Development

Organizer

Leah Kaufman, Microsoft

The devices we use to communicate with a computer should, ideally, be transparent in our hands; our attention stays on the changing states of the display, not the device itself. Yet the range of common input devices -- mice, trackballs, keyboards, joysticks, remote controls -- all vary in the amount of cognitive effort necessary for successful use. How can usability testing address this? How can we support the development of tools to effortlessly shift ideas from your head to the computer? This SIG on Input Devices is an informal forum for discussing this and more specific questions such as:

Can we characterize a continuum of input devices based on attentional demands? Can we use this to anticipate users problems with new input devices?
Given a device development plan that involves industrial designers, electrical and mechanical engineers, and software developers, what kind of information can usability provide during the development process?
What is the role of software that accompanies a product? How do we develop software and hardware in sync?

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