The design of phone-based interfaces for consumers

Abstract

This paper identifies guidelines for designing human-computer interfaces using telephones as terminals. Although they are ubiquitous and convenient to use, phones differ from screen terminals in two important ways: the information display is auditory and serial, and users do not have a pointer. The differences result in limitations for the interface designer. The guidelines focus on developing an effective interface within the limitations. Ongoing analysis, design, development, and testing work at IBM Poughkeepsie and literature are synthesized into guidelines. They present design options for user input, system output, and the system and user roles in a phone-based dialogue.