From desktop to phonetop: a UI for web interaction on very small devices

  • Authors:

  • Jonathan Trevor;David M. Hilbert;Bill N. Schilit;Tzu Khiau Koh

  • Affiliations:

  • Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA;Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA;Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA;Xerox Singapore Software Center, The Pasteur, Singapore

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 14th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology
  • Year:
  • 2001

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

While it is generally accepted that new Internet terminals should leverage the installed base of Web content and services, the differences between desktop computers and very small devices makes this challenging. Indeed, the browser interaction model has evolved on desktop computers having a unique combination of user interface (large display, keyboard, pointing device), hardware, and networking capabilities. In contrast, Internet enabled cell phones, typically with 3-10 lines of text, sacrifice usability as Web terminals in favor of portability and other functions. Based on our earlier experiences building and using a Web browser for small devices we propose a new UI that splits apart the integrated activities of link following and reading into separate modes: navigating to; and acting on web content. This interaction technique for very small devices is both simpler for navigating and allows users to do more than just read. The M-Links system incorporates modal browsing interaction and addresses a number of associated problems. We have built our system with an emphasis on simplicity and user extensibility and describe the design, implementation and evolution of the user interface.