Parsimony & Transparency in Ubiquitous Interface Design
Christopher R. Wren, Carson Reynolds · 2004
Minimalism in ubiquitous interface design allows computational augmentations to seamlessly coexist with existing artifacts and the constellations of task behaviors surrounding them. Specifically, parsimony and transparency contribute to improved learnability and user acceptance of novel interfaces. Keywords parsimony, transparency, minimalism, design, tangible, ubiquitous computing, learnability DESIGN OVERVIEW We present a design philosophy for ubiquitous computing centered on parsimony and transparency. By transparently integrating aspects of the digital world into real artifacts, we strive to provide ubiquitous interfaces to computation that do not obscure or destroy the highly refined interaction modalities of the host artifact in the physical world. We believe that carefully crafted coexistence of the physical and the digital, based on minimalism, leads to more learnable interfaces.