In my last post I considered those apps that replace the main home screen of your phone with something that will change the apps etc on display based on the home screens understanding of your behaviour. this should be brilliant, what you want and need are right there, just as you require them. As I said this, however can be confusing because most of us work best if things are where we expect them to be, so moving stuff around can lead to frustration.
However there may be a special case with people who work in highly stressful situations, and I realise that sounds counter intuitive, so bear with me a little.
Governments are looking to smart phones and LTE (or 4G is you prefer) to provide the telecoms services to the three emergency services (3ES), fire, police and ambulance.
This makes sense and would move from those distinctly old school tetra devices, to intelligent ones with flexible interfaces.
So would it make sense to have a couple or even three distinct modes for the UI on the device.
Level 1 or Normal: I’m a PC on duty, I have my full range of apps and they have the full range of functions. Life is good. i get to do a lot.
Level 2 or targeted: The user is on a mission/task and so the complexity of the Home screen and of critical apps is reduced, so that under stress the key apps / functions are bigger and easier to find.
Level 3: Critical: Fireman in a burning building, PC alone etc, then reduced even further to make the Push to Talk or the emergency call easy to find, even when under considerable duress.
Of course these are for the work times, I would assume that the device would have a Personal mode for all your other apps that are for when you’re off duty.
Just a thought.
All Things Mobile 
Nick
February 8, 2014
‘moving stuff around can lead to frustration.’
I think you hit the nail on the head with that Steve. In a time critical situation I would expect the hunt for an app icon that’s disappeared off the face of the device into the netherworld of the device display (as it was only used rarely on previous occasions and was therefore downgraded to the depths) would not only prove frustrating, but potentially life threatening. An emergency is a time critical situation, every second counts.
If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend reading Nick Bostrom’s work on AI. There’s a wonderful example of how awful it can be to rely on AI for the right solution to a problem.
In the case of (for example) firemen, there are amazing examples of where the human ‘sixth sense’ has provided an instinctively brilliant interpretation and reaction to a life threatening situation. True story: A fireman was called to a scene where everything had been declared safe. Upon entering the building he immediately asked the teams to evacuate, much to their astonishment. Seconds later a back draft blew through incinerating everything in it’s path.
This subconscious reckoning of the surroundings and subtle factors is something no machine can currently compete with. If we can put that in an app, we’re onto a winner!
I would also add that to my mind the term and concept of ‘super human’ artificial intelligence is derived from epistemological arrogance; we are unable to measure human intelligence in any meaningful way, so how can we presume to have a bench mark?
Hope that wasn’t too random for you mate :)
sdevo
February 8, 2014
Nick,
I agree, which is why, in my simple little mind, the change between the levels would be because of a deliberate action by the user.
this way your fireman would know the layout.
I also think this would help with glove usage, if the result was larger more spaced out buttons.
I was thinking if the dispatcher in the control room could change the device UI for the user, however this would not be wise.
I would want the change up a level to be transmitted to the control room so that they are aware of teh status of the user’s device,
this could be useful information.
Nick
February 8, 2014
Gotcha. One thing to note about gloves though… they don’t work with touch screens!
Sad case that I am, I just fished out a pair of leather gloves and tried on a GNEX 4.3.
I was inspired to test the theory by an article I once read on Koreans using sausages.
This may or may not be an issue depending on the more recent screen technologies.
Simple little mind? C’mon you, I know better. I’d agree remote management is a no no.