Transforming Ultra-Portable Devices into Information-Rich Appliances

我设想超便携设备、当前的智能手机和不久的将来的可穿戴显示器将成为信息丰富的设备：占地面积小的设备，促进用户与海量数据的有效互动。随着对各种环境中信息的访问不断增加，我们看到了对用于在便携式移动设备上搜索和浏览数字内容的高级用户界面的巨大需求。然而，终端用户在手机上显示搜索信息的界面与在台式机上的界面差别很小。这样的界面需要特别高效，因为用户经常在短时间内与移动内容交互。新的移动用户界面和交互模式对于促进高效的信息搜索是必要的，特别是在用户的需求、移动环境和数据大小不断增长的情况下。为了实现我的愿景，拟议的计划侧重于开发新的解决方案，以应对在移动环境中浏览和搜索信息的有限显示尺寸和输入机制带来的挑战。我的方法是多方面的，包括使用当前的移动界面观察和描述用户搜索行为，设计以可理解的方式可视压缩信息的技术，以及扩展移动设备输入和输出能力的解决方案。我进一步探索了用于新兴移动环境的信息搜索界面，例如用于在特别协作环境中的用户之间共享信息。移动行业技术的快速发展产生了对更有效地获取信息的工具的巨大需求。新的界面和交互范例是必要的，以补充移动设备在处理、图形和通信能力方面的快速改进。随着我们变得越来越依赖这种设备来增强我们的认知能力，最终用户界面可能会成为在手机上访问信息的基石。拟议中的计划将改变设备制造商和移动应用程序开发商对下一代超便携设备的看法，这种影响可能会影响和改变许多人的生活。

I envision ultra-portable devices, current smartphones and near-future wearable displays as information-rich appliances: small footprint devices that facilitate effective user interaction with large volumes of data. As access to information in varied contexts continues to grow, we have witnessed a significant need for advanced user interfaces for searching and browsing digital content on portable mobile devices. However, end-user interfaces for presenting search information on mobiles vary little from those on desktops. Such interfaces need to be particularly efficient as users often interact with mobile content in short activity bursts. Novel mobile user interfaces and interaction paradigms are necessary to facilitate efficient information search, particularly as users' needs, mobile contexts and data size grow relentlessly. To realize my vision, the proposed program focuses on developing novel solutions to address the challenges resulting from the limited display sizes and input mechanisms for browsing and searching for information in mobile contexts. My approach is multi-faceted and includes observing and characterizing user search behaviors with current mobile interfaces, the design of techniques to visually compress information in intelligible ways and solutions to extend the input and output capabilities of mobile devices. I further explore information search interfaces for emerging mobile contexts, such as for sharing information among users in ad-hoc collaborative settings. The rapid growth of technologies in the mobile industry has created a significant need for tools to more efficiently access information. Novel interfaces and interaction paradigms are necessary to complement the rapid improvements in processing, graphics and communication capabilities of mobile devices. End-user interfaces will likely constitute the keystone for accessing information on mobiles as we become more reliant on such devices to augment our cognitive abilities. The proposed program is poised to introduce a shift in how device manufactures and mobile application developers perceive the next-generation of ultra-portable devices, an impact that can affect and transform the lives of many.