Reducing complexity of consumer electronics interfaces using commonsense reasoning

Abstract

User interfaces to consumer electronics devices - Video recorders, phones, cameras, washing machines, microwave ovens, etc. - are getting too complicated to be easily used by ordinary consumers. We believe that what is responsible for such complication is a design philosophy which simply maps functions the device can perform to controls like buttons and menu items. That leaves the users with the difficult cognitive task of mapping their goals onto the devices' capabilities - a frustrating and error-prone process. Our hypothesis is that we can provide better assistance to the user using Commonsense Reasoning leading to shorter interactions with the devices. Commonsense can infer the users' likely goals from watching their actions, and anticipate what capabilities of the device can fulfill the users' needs. As devices gain networking capabilities and interact with other devices, Commonsense can also help devices cooperate in support of the users' goals.