Signature Q3 2008

Bluetooth Technology 501 | By David English | Illustration by Gary Neil | Q3 ’08 The Bluetooth SIG has an active and growing membership that participates in the development of Bluetooth wireless technology. In fact, the technology has been successful in no small measure because of the tireless efforts of member volunteers who serve on the many working groups, study groups and committees of the Bluetooth SIG. Beginning with this issue, we’ll look at some of the groups to find out why they were formed, what their goals are and what challenges lie ahead. For more information about these and other groups, including information for Promoter and Associate members who wish to join a group, visit Bluetooth.org. The Usability Expert Group Group Efforts Members can participate in the development of Bluetooth technology at a fundamental level: in the core specification and in the profiles that define how the technology operates. Promoter and Associate members can join working groups that drive Bluetooth technology to a broader range of applications and better end-user experience. Experience More It would be hard to imagine anything more central to the Bluetooth wireless technology experience than usability, which is an essential ingredient for customer satisfaction and interoperability. “In 2005 members were already discussing whether or not Bluetooth enabled wireless devices were achieving their goal of usability and interoperability,” says Peter Cook, specification program manager for the Bluetooth SIG. “Therefore, in 2006, the Bluetooth SIG created the Usability Expert Group with the goal of looking at the usability of Bluetooth wireless technology, and with an initial focus on the user experience when establishing an initial connection.” The objective was to create recommendations in the form of three documents for implementers of Secure Simple Pairing. “The goal was to provide guidelines for more consistent pairing solutions, so people wouldn’t have to relearn the pairing process every time they went from one device to the next,” says Cook, who was instrumental in the group’s formation and in development of its documentation. The first of these documents is a user lexicon, which provides members with language guidelines that can be used for a product’s user interface or owner’s manual. The second document provides ideas on how to measure the usability of the initial connection experience. For example, members take a set of baseline usability measurements, make improvements to the product, then take a second set of measurements to see if usability improved. The third document offers sample flow charts that track the initial connection experience. “With a headset and phone, for example, the idea was to illustrate the minimum number of steps needed to successfully connect two devices,” Cook explains. Ryan Seick was elected chair of the group in 2007. He was impressed with the response from various members who contact the Bluetooth SIG each week to discuss usability issues. “We get a broad range of issues from all types of devices,” says Seick, who is global technical marketing manager for Motorola’s Mobile Devices sector. “We’re looking for that to increase, once low energy and high speed come onboard. [These] are two key issues for us.” Because of favorable feedback, the group plans to become more active in helping to define usability issues when new profiles and specifications are being written or revised. With Bluetooth high speed technology, for example, the handoff between the Bluetooth radio and the 802.11 radio could impact usability. “I want to transfer a 40MB file,” notes Seick. “How do I do that easily without providing the user with too much to think about?” 28 | SIGnature | Bluetooth.org http://bluetooth.org http://bluetooth.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Signature Q3 2008

Signature Q3 2008 Contents Connect: Growing Markets Inbox: Spread the Word Ask the SIG: The Fast Lane In the News Perspectives: Views From APAC Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: Headset History Bluetooth Technology in Retrospect: Headset History Bluetooth Technology @ Play: Unplug Your Fun Bluetooth Technology Interactive: Wireless Tourism Checkout: Groovy Gadgets Bluetooth Wireless Explorer: Mind Games Bluetooth Technology 101: Ads You Like It Bluetooth Technology 501: Group Efforts Wacky Apps: What’s NXT? Get in the Game: If The Glove Fits ... Revolution: The Space Age

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