When Interactions happen without You

"Trust and Incidental Interaction: Would you let a Talking Paper Clip run YOUR Home?" was the name of the most challenging panel at the INTERACT 2005 conference, held in Rome towards the end of last year. All four speakers' presentations had interesting aspects and made a unique contribution to discussions about the future of user-centred design. To do justice to the ideas, each is being given its own story. Today, UN features Alan Dix of Lancaster University's Computing Department explaining his answer to the panel question.

Dix began by asking how many computers we thought we had at home. More than five? Most of us put up our hand and laughed. Then he knew he was talking to the initiated. This panel was not about desktops or laptops; it was all about the little computers inside things and what they are increasingly going to be able to do for us, with us and in spite of us.

Dix introduced the 'intentional spectrum':
* intentional is when you press the light switch to make the light come on;
* expected is when automatic doors open, or an automatic light switch functions because it has sensed your presence;
* incidental is when, unbeknownst to you, the air conditioning increases because you have come into a room."   continued ...   (Via Usability News)

Incidental.