274 SMART THINGS: UBIqUIToUS CoMPUTING USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN 18.1 IntroducIng novel experIences one result of treating information processing as a design material (Chapter 3) is the explosion of new ways for people to interact with it. With many tech- nological barriers gone, the challenge shifts to successfully introducing new experiences. 1 Functionality or ease of use are key factors in successful new products, serv- ices, and environments that augment or replace existing ones, 2 but timing is equally important, and timing the market is notoriously difficult. The large number of variables involved in timing the release of a product typically means that most products are launched with only the hope that the timing will work out. Apart from saying "early in-depth user research is very important," it is dif- ficult to give concrete advice about how to mitigate the risk of market failure. Extending familiar experiences and focusing functionality are two apparently helpful strategies, but the future is famously unpredictable and nothing is guaranteed. 18.1.1 ExtEnd familiar ExpEriEncEs