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When it comes to converged services, please keep the control screen GUIs simple

Yesterday at the Internet Telephony East show in drizzly but warm Miami Beach, I moderated a panel entitled Triple-Quad Play.No, the panel did not consist of those big broadband companies that provide those services to consumers, but of representatives of companies that supply software, systems and Graphical User Interfaces  to enable triple and quadruple-play providers to do just that.
Written by Russell Shaw, Contributor

Yesterday at the Internet Telephony East show in drizzly but warm Miami Beach, I moderated a panel entitled Triple-Quad Play.

No, the panel did not consist of those big broadband companies that provide those services to consumers, but of representatives of companies that supply software, systems and Graphical User Interfaces

 to enable triple and quadruple-play providers to do just that.

One best practice that really stuck with me as a takeaway is the absolute necessity of a clean, uncluttered control GUI for the user to access specific services as well as his or her preferences.

Nothing revolutionary here, but simply an update of the Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) for the age of converged services.

In this manifestation, we are talking about clear, concise directions and navigation between and in services. You shouldn't have to go thru six windows of arrow and icon-choked tv, PC or mobile screens in order to access your services.

Although all my panelists were in agreement on this, no one was more specific than Steve Borelli, VP of Marketing & Busniess Development at converged services platform solutions provider and developer Integra 5. Some of the screens on Steve's PPT deck are truly eye candy without complexity.

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