Tech Report HCIL-90-10

Plaisant, C., Shneiderman, B., Battaglia, J. (1990)
Scheduling home-control devices: a case study of the transition from the research project to a product
Human Factors in Practice, Computer Systems Technical Group, Human Factors Society (Santa Monica, CA, Dec. 1990) 7-13. Also Sparks of Innovation in Human-Computer Interaction, Shneiderman, B., Ed., Ablex (June 1993) 205-215.
HCIL-90-10

This case study describes the transition from a research project on scheduling home-control devices to a product integrated in an existing home automation system. First we describe the research that explored several designs to schedule devices over time periods ranging from minutes to days: four designs were compared, three of them prototyped and tested. One of the designs was selected for implementation in the commercial system. We then categorize the actions that were taken in order to improve and mold the prototype design into an integrated product. Finally we report on an additional study that emerged from the first one - the scheduling of periodic events - and on the extensions of the scheduler interface design to other aspects of home automat ion.