Home networking and HCI: what hath god wrought?

For much of the industrialized world, network connectivity in the home is commonplace. Despite the large number of networked homes, even the most technically savvy people can have difficulties with home network installation and maintenance. We contend that these problems will not disappear over time as the networking industry matures, but rather are due to structural usability flaws inherent in the design of existing network infrastructure, devices, and protocols. The HCI community can offer a unique perspective to overcoming the challenges associated with home networking. This paper discusses why home networking is difficult, based on analysis of historical, social, and technical factors. It explores how the designs of existing home networking technologies have implications for usability, and examines a range of models for addressing these usability challenges. The paper concludes with a discussion of how these models may impact future research efforts in both HCI and networking. Aut...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Erika Shehan, W. Keith Edwards
• Keywords: CHI 2007, Home Network Installation, Home Networking, Home Networking Technologies, Human Computer Interaction