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This paper presents a line of historic electronic musical instruments designed by Erkki Kurenniemi in the 1960's and 1970's. Kurenniemi's instruments were influenced by digital logic and an experimental attitude towards user interface design. The paper presents an overview of Kurenniemi's instruments and a detailed description of selected devices. Emphasis is put on user interface issues such as unconventional interactive real-time control and programming methods.

The phenomena a usability test in the field reveals are different from those uncovered in a classical usability test conducted in a laboratory setting. Comparison studies show that these findings are more related to the user experience and user behaviour than usability and user interaction with the device. Testing in the field is a necessary part of the product development cycle, but the question is what and how to test. Duplicating a laboratory usability test method in the field may not make sense in many cases because the required extra effort does not result in comparable added value, as far as understanding user interaction. Studying user behaviour, on the other hand, requires a less controlled test setting.

Abstract. The nature of mobile applications requires a fast and inexpensive design process. The development phase is short because the life cycle of an application is limited, mobile technology is developing rapidly, and the competition is heavy. Existing design methods are time-consuming and require expertise (e.g. Contextual Design). We suggest a design approach where focus groups are followed by usability tests in pairs carried out by non-professional moderators. With this approach CHI departments can benefit from market research resources, and improve collaboration with marketing people. We evaluated this approach with a case called News Client. The findings show that in paired-user tests near half of the usability problems were found compared to individual usability testing. The results are not too profound but enough for industry needs. Another interesting point is that our findings do not support the earlier reported results according to which the interaction between two participants can bring out more input than a single participant thinking aloud.

There is a general growing emphasis on aesthetics in the humancomputer interaction field (HCI). I suggest Antonio Damasio's Somatic Marker Hypothesis to be taken as a starting point when we consider how pleasant interfaces do get users to use a service. Damasio describes an automated mechanism where previous experiences leave marks about choices we have made, and how these marks affect our decision-making. I also suggest applying Richard Shusterman's concept of Somaesthetics in the discussions about aesthetic experiences. I suggest that these two disciplines could be included in the further work on aesthetics in the human-computer interactions area.