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02 October 2002 |
[paid subscription reqd] Dr. Walter Rolandi on grammars creating as many interface problems as they solve.
Why shouldn’t users be allowed to express themselves in highly variable ways? So what if you can’t anticipate every possible user utterance, won’t you still be right 90+ percent of the time?
Ironically, a big problem results from getting it “right 90+ percent of the time”. When an application appropriately responds to many ways of saying, in effect, the same thing, it is reinforcing the user for saying the same thing differently. This has the effect of encouraging the user to experiment with novel ways of saying things, which, invariably, will eventually lead to out-of-grammar errors.
The situation becomes more problematic because when the application does get it right, it is fostering an unrealistic expectation on the part of the user. In effect, it is telling the user, “Feel free to say anything you like. I will understand you.” At this point, the application no longer has a speech recognition problem. It has an artificial intelligence problem.
JM reminds us that he makes no mention of open grammars, which might help with some of the examples provided, but there's no doubting the conclusion: "Instead of being clever with grammars and setting unrealistic user expectations, it may be much smarter to create designs that implicitly remind the user of the reliable capabilities of existing technologies."
[via Speechtek mag]
11:16:32 PM 
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A paean to generalists:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
– Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love, 1973
11:14:37 PM
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Iterating patterns let you grow fractal broccoli. Also: other forms of Pattern exploration (paperfolding, coastlines...)
[via Hamrod]
11:02:28 PM
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Software for radially symmetric star patterns. Awesome. Related: tessellation / tiling.
[via Hamrod]
11:01:38 PM
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V-2 reads San Francisco and Tokyo via Calvino's Invisible Cities
[via Hamrod]
11:01:05 PM
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"Prada, property, praxis: Two failed spaces and their burdensome ideologies"
11:00:14 PM
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Dear people who arrive here every day by searching for Jack Bauer/24 ringtones,
We apologise that there are no downloadable 24-themed ringtones on this site. We are aware that you are probably disappointed, so we are trying to find some for you elsewhere out there. But as you're here, perhaps you'd like to idly flick through some speech recognition news, art titbits or other things while you're waiting?
Best wishes, Rodcorp.
1:55:31 AM
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Centres with 10-30 Agent positions are the fastest growing segment, and 3% means 470,000 APs. HLT Central's comment is Not-if-speech-technology-can-help, but speechrec will help many CCs automate low-value calls - allowing APs to focus on high-value, rather than necessarily removing bodies from seats.
1:35:42 AM
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With withdrawals per ATM static or declining due to increased use of credit and debit cards, banks now see their ATM networks as sales channels for new services, rather than just cash dispensers. They're beginning to offer mobile phone top-ups, vouchers, stamps and whatnot. By bunging in an IP layer at the back, they can rollout new services to ATMs more easily. To manage the risk of user interface rage at being cross-sold "value-added services", banks may switch off the extra features during peak usage hours. Users may want them switched off all the time.
PS: Did you know that Cashpoint (the standard UK name for an ATM) is a trademark of Lloyds TSB?
1:34:53 AM
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Instead of just concentrating on making interfaces more usable, Social Informatics explores how to make entire systems in their social context more usable.
PixelC also has a great interface, providing categories contained in Topic (eg Classification or IA), Process (eg designing or researching), Format (eg book or email) and Date filters.
[via BBJ]
1:32:22 AM
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As expected, the Vizz name is to be quietly replaced by "Vodafone Live!".
1:30:13 AM
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Users will have to remove all the other games they have installed, and make sure their e-mail folder doesn't get too large: good way to guarantee the game fails. However planned release of Nokias with memory cards may fix.
1:24:59 AM
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© Copyright 2003 rodcorp.
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