Handheld applications design: merging information appliances without affecting usability

摘要

We report experimental results regarding information handling and call handling tasks performed on integrated information appliance hybrids and separate devices used together. Three different interface conditions where used: The PowerCom prototype, an integrated application including calendar, address book, e-mail, etc. implemented on a Casio Cassiopeia E-105; the Nokia 9110 Communicator, an integrated mobile phone and PDA; and the standard bundle Windows CE, running on the same -Casio device and complemented by a Nokia 6110 mobile phone. Out of seven tasks, effectiveness was significantly lower for an information modification and a complex call handling task when using PowerCom whereas it as was the same for the other tasks. The findings indicate that the merging of certain information appliances can be done without loosing usability. However, the navigational breadth must be considered carefully since it is assumed to more critical than depth when high accuracy is important.