Trust and Incidental Interaction: Would You Let a Talking Paper Clip Run YOUR Home?

Mobile and domestic computer-based devices have now extended beyond Weiser's (4) ubiquitous computing vision: devices are now embedded in everyday objects, and interaction is often incidental (1)—users no longer act intentionally with them—raising trust issues. When a system reacts to an action not obviously related to the effect, will users know to check for that effect? What happens when the designer's and user's model of the task differ? As systems get more complex, will users understand how they work? Does it matter? The panel addresses how to develop ubiquitous computing services that the user views as dependable.