In this organizational overview we cover some of the critical aspects of human interface research and application at Apple or, as we prefer to call it, the "User Experience." We cover what we do, where we are going (as much as we are permitted to say in public), and how we are organized. Some of our innovations in the product process and in the transfer of research from the laboratories to product should be of special interest to the HCI community.

Keywords:

Organizational overview, organizational structure, technology transfer

The Presentation

Apple Computer is known for its innovation in the field of human interface. This is a result of considerable research effort and attention to detail in the execution of products. In addition, Apple's HI groups play a prominent role in product development. In this organizational overview, we cover some of the critical aspects of human interface research and application at Apple or, as we prefer to call it, the "User Experience." Much of the success and failures of HI at Apple - as elsewhere - depend upon organizational factors, so we discuss the structure of HI at Apple and its role in the product process. Some of our innovations in the product process and in the transfer of research from the laboratories to product should be of special interest to the HCI community.

The role of HI within the product process is certainly not perfect within Apple, and the quality varies within divisions and from product to product. But the company is sensitive to and supportive of the needs of human interface work, and continual changes are being made in the product process. The structure will probably never be perfect, but it will be instructive to review Apple's process and some of its major successes and failures.