ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)

Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Generic user interface elements for 3G/UMTS mobile devices, services and applications

DTR/HF-00080

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 22-Oct-2009
• Technical Committee: HF - Human Factors
• Current Stage: 12 - Completion
• Due Date: 23-Oct-2009
• Completion Date: 23-Oct-2009

Standards Content (Sample)

Technical Report
Human Factors (HF);
User Interfaces;
Generic user interface elements for 3G/UMTS
mobile devices, services and applications

2 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)

Reference
DTR/HF-00080
Keywords
HF, ICT, interface, MMI, mobile, service,
telephony
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3 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 4
Foreword . 4
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 References . 5
2.1 Normative references . 6
2.2 Informative references . 6
3 Definitions and abbreviations . 9
3.1 Definitions . 9
3.2 Abbreviations . 10
4 Approach and introduction to 3G-specific aspects . 11
4.1 Development and innovation . 11
4.2 User aspects and requirements . 11
4.3 Mobile network operator aspects and requirements . 12
4.4 Service aspects . 12
4.5 Device aspects . 13
4.6 Media aspects . 13
4.7 Application aspects. 14
4.8 Internet service and Web access aspects . 14
4.9 System performance aspects. 15
4.10 Setup and configuration aspects . 16
4.11 Costs and tariffs aspects . 16
5 Recommendations for networks and devices . 17
5.1 Managing Quality of Service (QoS) and costs of connectivity . 17
5.2 Internet connectivity and access . 19
5.2.1 Internet connectivity . 19
5.2.2 Internet access . 20
5.2.3 Computer-based Internet connectivity and access . 20
5.2.4 Embedded access . 20
5.3 Always-on, always on-line . 22
5.4 Specific (dedicated) UIs . 24
6 Recommendations for services and applications . 24
6.1 Data-intensive services and applications . 24
6.2 Distributed (non-device-native) UIs . 28
6.3 Customization, personalisation and bundled packages. 29
6.4 Corporate use . 30
6.5 Application installation and software updates . 31
7 Recommendations for other areas . 33
7.1 IMS-based applications . 33
7.2 In-car use . 34
7.3 Accessibility applications (enabled through 3G) . 37
7.4 Trust (security, privacy and integrity) issues . 39
8 Recommendations for terminology, symbols, auditory signals and user education and product
reference documentation . 41
8.1 Terminology . 41
8.2 Symbols . 43
8.3 Auditory signals . 44
8.4 User education and product reference documentation . 45
Annex A: A listing of all recommendations . 46
History . 66

ETSI
4 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
Intellectual Property Rights
IPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information
pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in
respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web
server (http://webapp.etsi.org/IPR/home.asp).
Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee
can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web
server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.
Foreword
This Technical Report (TR) has been produced by ETSI Technical Committee Human Factors (HF).
Intended users of the present document include user experience, interface and interaction design professionals,
developers of mobile devices, services and applications, mobile network and service providers, terminal approvers,
standard writers and developers and others.
NOTE: Due to ever-evolving organizational and operational differences in professional responsibilities and roles,
a stricter limitation of the intended users would be improper.
Introduction
ICT plays an increasingly important role in the daily activities of most people and promises a world where ICT
resources improve further the quality of life. It is therefore increasingly important to ensure that ICT products are
developed and designed in a usable and accessible manner, so that anyone, regardless of their abilities or age, can use
and profit from them in the best possible way.
The global number of mobile subscriptions continues to grow and is now estimated to nearly 4 billion. According to the
latest available subscriber data (sources: GSM Association, http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/market-
data/market_data_summary.htm, the UMTS Forum, http://www.umts-forum.org/) and the CDMA Development Group,
http://www.cdg.org/), the total number of global mobile subscribers by the end of 2008 is approximately 4 billion, with
3 billion GSM subscribers, 450 million 3G subscribers (and an additional 450 million CDMA2000 subscribers). GSM
and W-CDMA stands for nearly 90 % market share of mobile communication subscriptions worldwide.
The mobile telephone has become the most successful and most widely spread personal ICT device. The user
experience of mobile communication has become one of the decisive factors for the uptake and use and thus, the
success of the service offering to a global user community. The capabilities offered by mobile solutions have evolved
considerably during the past two decades, from basic telephony to video telephony to mass-market broadband access
and services such as integrated, real-time data applications like navigational services or instant access to on-line,
personalized media content and applications and have become a commodity of everyday life. "Consumers and business
users are quickly getting used to megabit speeds on the move. And now the mobile broadband genie is out of the
bottle…the new value chain we confidently predicted that 3G would create a decade ago is a flourishing reality" [i.28].
The "consumerisation" of ICT is increasingly driving ICT markets and development. This trend, strengthened by ever-
increasing global penetration and the provision of access to information and communication services is leading to a
continuous technology development and innovation to expand to all social spaces.
Connectivity and interoperability between telephony networks, personal computing, the Internet, and ever-smarter
mobile devices and services offer a considerable potential for improving life. However, there is concern about whether
these new products, services and their content will be fully accessible and efficiently usable to all people, including
children, aging and disabled users. An effective e-society relies on the fact that as many citizens as possible are granted
access. Users who i.e. cannot get over the hurdle of the first installation of their devices and services may perpetually be
excluded from the e-society [i.23].
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5 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
1 Scope
The present document addresses the user interfaces of 3G/UMTS-enabled devices, services and applications from the
end users' perspective, and provides generic design, development, deployment and evaluation recommendations.
The applicability of the present document expands beyond EG 202 132 [i.1] and TR 102 125 [i.2], by taking into
consideration some important, although not always technically unique characteristics of the 3G/UMTS mobile
communication ecosystem, as experienced by the end users during their interaction with the technology (e.g. device UI
characteristics, seamless connectivity between different kinds of networks, quality and continuity of services and their
provisioning and the data-intensive service and application offering).
The user requirements and rationale for generic UI elements provided in [i.1] and [i.2] remain applicable to the systems
and services addressed in the present document, as also the technologies covered by [i.1] remain an integral part of the
3G mobile communication environment. Furthermore, the present document, in the same way as [i.1], does only
provide recommendations for UI elements and does not address complete UI designs, nor their implementations.
The present document does by any means not intend to restrict the ability of market players to define, develop or
differentiate their products, nor does it in any way intend to limit their options to trademark UI designs and
implementations, UI blocks or position the user experience of any (e.g. brand-or service-specific) UI designs or
implementations as a competitive edge.
Wherever possible, a Design-for-All philosophy and inclusive design principles have been applied, taking the need of
all users, including young and older people and users with sensory and functional limitations into account.
The considerations listed in the present document are intended to contribute to further improvements of the user
experience of the future mobile communication environment, by complementing specifications from 3GPP, ETSI,
OMA and others, with the intention to be considered during current and future development and deployment processes.
The addressing of costs and tariffs is outside the scope of the present document. However, as these closely relate to the
establishment of end user trust in the mobile ecosystem, enabling more use in cases where uncertainties may lead to
undesired user behaviors (e.g. no use), some advisory considerations are listed.
Any recommendations provided in the present document should without any exception be superseded by 3GPP
specifications, in the case of any uncertainties or possible conflicts with current mobile standards and specifications.
Ergonomic issues related to hardware design and machine-to-machine interfaces are outside the scope of the present
document.
2 References
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific.
• For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
• Non-specific reference may be made only to a complete document or a part thereof and only in the following
cases:
- if it is accepted that it will be possible to use all future changes of the referenced document for the
purposes of the referring document;
- for informative references.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at
http://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication ETSI cannot guarantee
their long term validity.
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6 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
2.1 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of the present document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For non-specific references, the latest edition of the referenced document
(including any amendments) applies.
Not applicable.
2.2 Informative references
The following referenced documents are not essential to the use of the present document but they assist the user with
regard to a particular subject area. For non-specific references, the latest version of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.
[i.1] ETSI EG 202 132: "Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Guidelines for generic user interface
elements for mobile terminals and services".
[i.2] ETSI TR 102 125: "Human Factors (HF); Potential harmonized UI elements for mobile terminals
and services".
[i.3] ETSI TS 122 011: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Service accessibility (3GPP TS 22.011)".
[i.4] ETSI TS 122 101: "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Service
aspects; Service principles (3GPP TS 22.101)".
[i.5] ETSI TS 122 071: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Location Services (LCS); Service description;
Stage 1 (3GPP TS 22.071)".
[i.6] ETSI EG 202 116: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for ICT products and services; "Design for
All"".
[i.7] ETSI TR 102 612: "Human Factors (HF); European accessibility requirements for public
procurement of products and services in the ICT domain (European Commission Mandate M 376,
Phase 1)".
[i.8] ETSI TR 102 068: "Human Factors (HF); Requirements for assistive technology devices in ICT".
[i.9] ETSI ES 202 130: "Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Character repertoires, orderings and
assignments to the 12-key telephone keypad (for European languages and other languages used in
Europe)".
[i.10] ETSI ES 202 076: "Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Generic spoken command vocabulary
for ICT devices and services".
[i.11] ETSI EG 202 487: "Human Factors (HF); User experience guidelines; Telecare services
(eHealth)".
[i.12] ETSI TR 102 133: "Human Factors (HF); Access to ICT by young people: issues and guidelines".
[i.13] ETSI EG 202 191: "Human Factors (HF); Multimodal interaction, communication and navigation
guidelines".
[i.14] ETSI ETR 329: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for procedures and announcements in Stored
Voice Services (SVS) and Universal Personal Telecommunication (UPT)".
[i.15] ETSI EG 202 416: "Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Setup procedure design guidelines for
mobile terminals and services".
[i.16] ETSI EG 202 417: "Human Factors (HF); User education guidelines for mobile terminals and
services".
ETSI
7 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
[i.17] ETSI EG 202 421: "Human Factors (HF); Multicultural and language aspects of multimedia
communications".
[i.18] ETSI EG 202 423: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for the design and deployment of ICT
products and services used by children".
[i.19] ETSI EG 202 534: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for real-time person-to-person
communication services".
[i.20] ETSI EG 202 745: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines on the provision of ICT services to young
children".
[i.21] ETSI SR 002 180: "Emergency communications; Requirements for communication of citizens
with authorities/organizations in case of distress (emergency call handling)".
[i.22] ETSI ETR 297: "Human Factors (HF); Human Factors in Video telephony".
[i.23] Europe 2005: "An information society for all; Action Plan presented at the Sevilla European
Council".
NOTE: Replaced by "i2010 - A European Information Society for growth and employment", see
http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/2005/all_about/action_plan/index_en.htm, now replaced
by http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/index_en.htm.
[i.24] GSM Association Official Document DG.11: "Field Trial Guidelines", version 4.9,
September 2008.
NOTE: http://www.gsmworld.com/documents/DG11_4_9.zip.
[i.25] GSM Association Official Document IR.65: "IMS Roaming and Interworking Guidelines".
November, 2006.
NOTE: http://www.gsmworld.com/documents/ir65_36.pdf.
[i.26] European Commission, Europe's Information Society Thematic Portal: "eSafety Website".
NOTE: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/esafety/index_en.htm.
[i.27] TCeurope SecureDOC (2004): "Usable and safe operating manuals for consumer goods - A
Guideline".
NOTE: http://www.tceurope.org/index.php/projects.html.
[i.28] UMTS Forum: "Annual Report 2007 and Directions for 2008".
NOTE: www.umts-forum.org.
[i.29] Tafazolli, R.(Ed.): "Technologies for the Wireless Future". Volume 2, Wireless World Research
Forum (WWRF), 2006.
[i.30] W3C Mobile Web Initiative to Define Best Practices and "mobileOK" Trustmark.
NOTE: http://xml.coverpages.org/ni2005-05-10-a.html.
[i.31] W3C: "Web Security Experience, Indicators and Trust: Scope and Use Cases".
NOTE: http://www.w3.org/TR/wsc-usecases/.
[i.32] ETSI TS 123 057: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+); Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Mobile Execution Environment (MExE); Functional
description; Stage 2 (3GPP TS 23.057)".
[i.33] 3GPP Service requirements for the Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia core network subsystem
(IMS); Stage 1.
NOTE: http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/22228.htm.
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8 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
[i.34] Cosquer, M.: "Design Guidelines for IMS User Interfaces". In Proceedings of the 21st Human
Factors in Telecommunication Symposium, 2008.
NOTE: http://www.hft2008.org/images/paper/hft08.cosquer.pdf.
[i.35] Chincholle, D., Björn, M., Norlin, C. and Lindqvist, M.: "Chat on a phone, not a PC clone:
IMS-based mobile community service".
NOTE: http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/publications/review/2008_01/files/2_Chat_on_phone.pdf.
[i.36] "IP Multimedia Subsystem in OMA (IMS in OMA)".
NOTE: http://www.openmobilealliance.org/technical/release_program/ims_v1_0.aspx.
[i.37] Apple, Inc: "Voluntary Product Accessibility information refers to the Apple iPhone".
NOTE: http://images.apple.com/accessibility/pdf/iPhone_vpat.pdf.
[i.38] Hjälpmedelsintsitutet (HI): "User testing of 3G telephones- based on the needs of the deaf, the
hearing impaired and the deaf-blind (2007)".
NOTE: http://www.hi.se/Global/pdf/2007/07375-pdf.pdf.
[i.39] ITU Activities on IMT-2000.
NOTE: http://www.itu.int/home/imt.html.
[i.40] ESOP 2006, AMI-C-4002 2003, and AAM 2002.
[i.41] ESOP 2006: Updated version of the "European Statement of Principles for Human-Machine
Interaction (HMI) for in-vehicle information and communication systems".
[i.42] AMI-C-4002: "AMI-C requirement and specifications for Human Machine Interfaces v 1.00".
(AMI-C: Automotive Multimedia Interface Collaboration), 2003.
[i.43] AAM 2002: "Statement of Principles, Criteria and Verification Procedures on Driver Interactions
with Advanced In-Vehicle Information and Communication Systems".
[i.44] W3C: "Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 Basic Guidelines".
NOTE: http://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/.
[i.45] W3C: "MobileOK Basic Tests 1.0".
NOTE: http://www.w3.org/TR/mobileOK-basic10-tests/.
[i.46] W3C: "Relationship between Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) and Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG)".
NOTE: http://www.w3.org/TR/mwbp-wcag/.
[i.47] W3C Mobile Web Initiative homepage.
NOTE: http://www.w3.org/Mobile/.
[i.48] W3C Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group.
NOTE: http://www.w3.org/2005/MWI/BPWG/.
[i.49] ITU-T Recommendation E.800: "Definitions of terms related to quality of service".
[i.50] ETSI ETR 095: "Human Factors (HF); Guide for usability evaluations of telecommunications
systems and services".
[i.51] ISO 9241-11: "Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) -
Part 11: Guidance on usability".
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9 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
[i.52] ETSI ETR 116: "Human Factors (HF); Human factors guidelines for ISDN Terminal equipment
design".
[i.53] ISO/IEC 8802.11: "Information technology - Telecommunications and information exchange
between systems - Local and metropolitan area networks - Specific requirements - Part 11:
Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications".
[i.54] IEEE 802.16-2009: "IEEE Standard for Local and metropolitan area networks Part 16: Air
Interface for Broadband Wireless Access Systems".
3 Definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definitions apply:
design for all: design of products to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for
specialized adaption
device: physical device which interfaces with a telecommunications network, and hence to a service provider, to enable
access to a telecommunications service
NOTE: A device also provides an interface to the user to enable the interchange of control actions and
information between the user and the device, network or service provider.
end user: person who uses a telecommunications device to gain access to and control of a telecommunications service
or application
NOTE: The user may or may not be the person who has subscribed to the provision of the service or owns the
device. Also, the user may or may not be a person with impairments.
generic: generalized set or general purpose set, often in the sense of basic or ordinary
ICT devices and services: devices or services for processing information and/or supporting communication, which has
an interface to communicate with a user
Quality of Experience (QoE): user perceived experience of what is being presented by a communication service or
application user interface
Quality of Service (QoS): collective effect of service performance which determines the degree of satisfaction of a user
of the service
NOTE: See ITU-T Recommendation E.800 [i.49].
spoken command: verbal or other auditory dialogue format which enables the user to input commands to control a
device, service or application
usability: effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specified users can achieve specified goals (tasks) in a
specified context and particular environments
NOTE 1: See ETR 095 [i.50] and ISO 9241-11 [i.51].
NOTE 2: In telecommunications, usability should also include the concepts of learnability and flexibility; and
reference to the interaction of more than one user (the A and B parties) with each other and with the
devices and the telecommunications system (see ETR 116 [i.52]).
User Interface (UI): physical and logical interface through which a user communicates with a telecommunications
device or via a device to a telecommunications service (also called man-machine interface, MMI)
NOTE: The communication is bi-directional in real time and the interface includes control, display, audio, haptic
or other elements, in software or hardware.
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10 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
user requirements: requirements made by users, based on their needs and capabilities, on a telecommunication service
and any of its supporting components, devices and interfaces, in order to make use of this service in the easiest, safest,
most efficient and most secure way
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
nd
2G 2 generation, GSM-enabled mobile networks (see GSM)
nd
2G+ evolved 2 generation, GSM-and GPRS and/or EDGE-enabled mobile networks
rd
3G 3 generation mobile networks (see UMTS)
rd
3G+ evolved 3 generation, HSPA-enabled 3G networks (see UMTS and HSPA)
EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (the final stage in the evolution of the GSM standard)
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GSM Global System for Mobile telecommunication
HSPA High-Speed Packet Access
HSDPA High-Sped Downlink Packet Access
HSUPA High-Sped Uplink Packet Access
ICT Information and Communication Technologies
IMS IP Multimedia Subsystem
IMT-2000 International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (standard family)
ITU-T International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunication standardization sector
LTE Long-Term Evolution
NOTE: Of 3G/UMTS mobile networks; also known as 4G.
MSD Minimum Set of Data
NFC Near Field Communication
NGN Next Generation Network
OMA Open Mobile Alliance
QoE Quality of Experience
QoS Quality of Service
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
SMS Short Message Service
UCD User Centered Development
UI User Interface
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
NOTE: The European entrant for 3G; now subsumed into the IMT-2000 family as the WCDMA technology.
USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module
NOTE: The 3G equivalent of the GSM SIM.
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
WLAN Wireless Local Area Network
NOTE: Commercially known as Wi-Fi, ISO/IEC standard family 8802.11 [i.53] x.
WIMAX Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
NOTE: IEEE 802.16 [i.54] and IMT-2000.
W3C World Wide Web Consortium
W3C MWBP Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group of W3C
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11 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
4 Approach and introduction to 3G-specific aspects
4.1 Development and innovation
The recommendations provided in the present document have been developed and structured with the following aspects
in mind:
1) The properties and capabilities of devices evolve, as technological improvements and innovations come to the
market, when transferring from 2G to 3G (and 3G+ and foreseeably, LTE).
2) Users may need to cope with new challenges when using increasingly complex ICT devices and services.
3) Services and applications become increasingly ubiquitous; for those features used, users need to understand
the opportunities offered by and consequences of using these services in different environments and locations.
4) The interdependencies between services, applications, networks and devices become more prominent.
Perceived quality at the point of consumption is no longer only dependent on the processing capabilities of
individual devices but rather on the overall performance of a complex ICT system.
5) Technical capabilities and constraints are well defined and have a considerable impact on the end user's mobile
ICT environment.
The major changes in the developing mobile communication market can be examined through the characteristics of
services, devices, media and applications, access to the Internet, system performance aspects, configuration and costs
and tariffs aspects. These are addressed in clauses 4.4 - 4.10, following an overview of user and operator aspects and
requirements (provided in clauses 4.2 - 4.3).
4.2 User aspects and requirements
3G, as well as LTE maintains most telecommunication functions known from earlier generations of technologies (with
some exceptions, e.g. data and fax services). The technology evolution gives further enablers and opportunities for the
mobile device users to handle personal digital content in the device and content located in other places. There are
several improvements that are not defined by 3G as such, but follow as consequence of the development. For example,
the user can typically:
• Store larger amounts of content in the device, due to an increased availability of memory solutions at lowered
costs;
• More easily transfer the content between different devices and services, due to the availability of connectivity
standards, memory cards, fast connections, etc.;
• Purchase, view and enjoy various types of media content (e.g. text, files, pictures, videos, music, etc.), and
extend these capabilities, due to typical 3G device platform software add-on flexibility;
• Process and manage the data in the device, due to better user interfaces and processing capabilities (Edit,
organize, search, filter);
• Update and extend the device software easily or with low effort, in many cases.
Users are able to connect to the Internet at sufficient speed and bandwidth almost anytime and anywhere. The time
needed for connection is typically measured in seconds, and the download/upload bandwidth is measured in megabytes
per second.
Along the improving coverage of 3G networks, there are less connectivity barriers for the use of applications and
services. In 3G environments, the user can, anywhere within the 3G coverage (and in fall-back situations, where GPRS
or EDGE is available):
• Browse the Internet. Mobile Internet browsers can access any basic content. Typically there are some
limitations related to specific data plug-ins, support for different versions of Java, Flash, etc.;
• Access dedicated Internet-based services either with the browser or with service specific applications;
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12 ETSI TR 102 972 V1.1.1 (2009-10)
• Upload and download content from online sources and even devices located in the user's environment, such as
home computers and office servers;
• Conduct secure transactions, based on applications and standards already in use in the wire-line Internet
domain and in 3G specifications;
• Conduct remote monitoring or remote control tasks (e.g. remote healthcare or building control).
However, the access to 3G services is not always guaranteed, and the quality of service may differ widely due to
network set-up and attributes, roaming agreements etc. Due to the amount of data traffic it can sometimes be difficult to
understand or predict the expected costs of using 3G services. Unpredictability of involved cost may become a major
reason for the avoidance of 3G data services or a major slowdown for their uptake, and vice versa [i.23].
The applicable generic user (meta-) requirements on mobile communication have been examined and are reported in
EG 202 132 [i.1]. These are considered still valid and remain applicable.
4.3 Mobile network operator aspects and requirements
In addition to the requirements reported in [i.1] and as mentioned in earlier clauses of this clause, designers of 3G
applications and services should be aware that their products may be offered by different service providers with varying
network capabilities. Interoperation of services and applications delivered over different networks to a multitude of
devices on different software platforms may cause major usability problems and obstacles to the rapid uptake and
acceptance of 3G services and applications. User interface designers need to be aware of the requirements and
limitations imposed by networks and their operators.
A second aspect to be considered is the interest of network operators to express their brand identity through company-
specific user interface design guidelines for services and applications. While these guidelines may help to enhance the
ease of use of services in the general sense, mobile network operator-specific UIs should be designed to allow users to
access services and applications in different network environments, or while roaming.
Interoperability across manufacturers, software platform providers and network operators is of significant importance
and if full interoperability is overlooked, there may be a major obstacle to service acceptance and use.
4.4 Service aspects
3G networks are rapidly becoming main-stream, mass-market in a high variety of cultures and regions. Also the
penetration of 3G devices is rapidly increasing accordingly.
According to the ITU IMT-2000 (3G) definition [i.39], 3G devices need to support:
• High bit rates and wideband connections;
• Services that require fixed bit rate and service that need to allow variations in the bit rates;
• Fluent transition between operator networks and countries (roaming);
• Geographical positioning of the device; and
• Multimedia services.
The main factors differentiating 3G from 2G services are:
• Higher bandwidth: Recommendations are provided on what might happen if the bandwidth is too low for a
service.
• More transitions between different network types during usage; and
• The evolution of operator policies.
These factors have a considerable impact on the 3G user experiences and service adoption.
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4.5 Device aspects
Typical 3G devices are often characterized by a large colour screen, a variety of input solutions (12-key, and/or a
QWERTY keypads and/or touch user interfaces) and sufficient processing power and memory capabilities to perform
basic and advanced multi-tasking computing and connectivity tasks, i.e. high interaction performance in a small and
compact form factor. Simultaneously, the global competition is bringing the average retail device prices down.
The main factors differentiating recent evolutions in devices (including 2G to 3G development) are:
• The potential to deal with much larger amounts of data and information. Such devices should be able to
organize efficiently and present this data in a way understandable to the user;
• Users may want to understand and control memory management and applications running in parallel, as well
as the interdependencies between applications and data ("Lost in hyperspace");
• Blurring the separation of local and remote memory/applications: the user should be helped to understand
where to modify preferences, etc.;
• Higher variability of device hardware: from PCs to embedded devices: users should be helped to understand
how to transfer relevant, acquired usage know-how from one device type to another;
• Increased complexity leads to more possibilities to user errors: error recovery issues become much more
important.
According to [i.29], 3G devices are characterized by:
• Higher processing power and more memory capacity;
• Larger and more powerful displays;
• Operating systems with multitasking abilities allowing for parallel user activities;
• Operating systems with the ability to handle several connections simultaneously.
These new or enhanced features allow for more complex application and software systems with new features as
e.g. user-initiated or automated OTA software updates. These new functionalities may need to be understood and
controlled by the user especially if they, as a consequence, are confronted with new icons or symbols which provide
visual indications of system and application status; complex system and device messages which require attention or
interaction; or messages caused by events in simultaneous connections or changing connection characteristics (QoS).
Moreover, user interaction to set up features and understand and respond to errors may become much more complex
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than in the case of 2 generation mobile devices.
Different 3G-enabled devices with the option of having multiple connections (cellular, WLAN, WIMAX, and NFC)
require the user to be aware of and to control data and transmission security, privacy and date integrity issues which
should be taken into account by UI designers developing these devices.
4.6 Media aspects
In the foreseeable future all media that can be digitized, will become digital. In fact, even today a major part of our
activities and information is already in digital form. 3G is the environment where operators and service providers can
distribute (in principle, at least) all digital media to customers, such as music, TV programs, games, advertisements,
news, new applications and any digital documents. On the other hand, users are able to create and use interactive
services, to upload and share content, and to create new behaviours based on mobility and communities.
Due to novelty of the 3G technology and mobile Internet services there are still limitations disabling the use of services
and media, related to:
• Devices: interoperability with services and with other devices, varying capabilities, devices which are not fully
optimized for the use of large and dynamic data content;
• (Internet) Services: availability, costs and tariffs, roaming limitations, accessibility, local vs. global
availability;
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• Networks: availability of 3G networks, quality of services, cost;
• Legal and national limitations and policies;
• Copyright legislation, both on the international, European and national levels.
4.7 Application aspects
3G enables and supports the development of new services, applications and smart environments. New functionality can
be created by all stakeholders, such as manufacturers, users, service providers, and software companies, due to
emerging options to program devices (open platforms), possibilities to search and install new functions, memory
capacity, processing power and connectivity.
Although devices can store and handle large amounts of data, there are several related issues which may cause
difficulties to the user: memories tend to become full, upload or download is not always possible or fluent, etc. In
addition, the UI does not always support the proper handling of large numbers of data items, such as long music play
lists or photo libraries.
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In contrast to many 2 generation devices, most 3G devices support multitasking, i.e. several applications or functions
can run in parallel. The use of multitasking provides parallel facilities but decreases performance for each facility used.
Multitasking also increases power consumption, and can make the overall device behaviour slower. This should be
taken into account in application design.
Users expect that device functions work together and converge. For example, phonebook address information may be
needed in a new application, or location information from a new function should be available for an old established
function. Application design standard checklists and common sense need to be applied in linking functions together and
to avoid "silo"
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