Design of Palm Pilot

Rob Haitani

Presented by: Pankaj Thakkar

Overview of Palm Pilot

PIM Functionality

Not a PC replacement

Single button Hot Sync capability

Touch sensitive screen with handwriting recognition

Less is More

Dimensions: 4.7” x 3.1” x 0.6” Weight: 5.7 ounces Power Source: 2 AAA batteries Screen: 160x160 pixels; black &

white; touch sensitive Processor: Motorola 68238 Operating System: PalmOS

Design Goals Build a better device than existing handhelds like Zoomer

and Newton

Support a limited functionality efficiently

Quick and instant access to information (frequently)

Target audience: PC users

Not a replacement for PCs. Provide Hot-Sync capability to synchronize information with PCs.

Do the right thing

Non PC Design Don’t emulate the PC design blindly

Mechanical buttons as well as software buttons

No “Save” buttons/functions

No application switching

Predictability more important than consistency

Software Miniaturization

Implementation Notes Every pixel counts. No fancy features

Make frequent tasks/functions easily accessible (e.g. by reducing the number of taps)

If in doubt, do a user-test to evaluate

Minimize clutter. Assess user requirements.

Steps to Success Wireless two way email through handheld

Context sensitive buttons (appearing/disappearing)

No menu support ? (As of now Palm does support pull down menus)

Usability Analysis Research about user preferences and

requirements

Do user testing from the beginning of the project

Phone Test: If the other person can tell if you are using a Palm for accessing information (like schedule, phone numbers)

Palm v/s Windows CE CE design close to PC (windows) design

CE uses menu, Palm does not

According to Palm people, CE has extra bells and whistles, the sluggish performance will be annoying

Palm design is kept simple and it is made to do specific functions only

Conclusions Users want an efficient appliance (designed to

do specific tasks) not a small PC

The interface needs to be simple and predictable

Many of the design principles which hold in PC world are not applicable in handhelds

Have many special purpose information appliances than a big bulky all rounder