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When The Whole Is Less Than The Sum Of The Parts: Humanising Convergence In Iinteractive Systems Design, Steve Howard, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Graeme Shanks, John Murphy, Jennie Carroll

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Convergence, viewed as the union of disparate technical solutions, is frequently proposed as a way of maximising value for end users: reducing the number of distinct technologies users have to purchase, learn and use. Yet few empirical studies of use and convergent technology have been reported. Though convergence as a catchphrase has had currency for over a decade now, a tension remains between those who argue for strong-specific solutions, i.e. carefully targeted ‘information appliances’, and those who prefer weak-general approaches, the ICT equivalent of the Swiss army knife. We describe the dynamic nature of the trade-off between usability and functional …