| Technology Transfer from University to Industry | | BIBA | PDF | 3-4 | |
| James Foley | |||
| KEY QUESTIONS
1. How should we define successful technology transfer? By the extent to which
the research affects the success of a project in the marketplace. This is a very pragmatic answer based on the belief that the most important measure of success is impact. 2. What should researchers, developers, and management do to make success more likely? Start with developing people relationships. Then, * Facilitate bottom-up initiation of projects; * Develop the prototype using the sponsor's hardware and software; * Help industry R&D staff understand the values, motivations, and structure of university R&D; * Help university researchers understand the tech transfer process and the entire product development cycle; * Provide the rewards and financial resources to encourage industry managers and staff to take the extra risk of establishing a research collaboration. 3. What are some of the danger signals that suggest a research collaboration is in trouble? * Industry sponsor is too busy to come see you; * Professor is too busy to visit company; * Undefined tech transfer process; * Funding for "feel good" reasons; * A high-level manager directing that external funding be directed to a particular project or person or university. | |||
| Local Plan Recognition in Direct Manipulation Interfaces | | BIBAK | PDF | 7-14 | |
| Annika Wærn | |||
| Plan recognition in direct manipulation interfaces must deal with the
problem that the information obtained is of low quality with respect to the
plan recognition task. There are two main reasons for this: the individual
interactions from the user are on a low level as compared to the user's task
and users may frequently change their intentions. We present two example
applications where this is the case.
The fact that users change their intentions could be used to motivate an explicit representation of user intentions. However, the low quality of available information makes such an approach unfeasible in direct manipulation interfaces. This paper addresses the same problem by maintaining a plan-parsing approach to plan recognition, but making it local to the user's most recent actions by imposing a limited attention span. Two different approaches to implementation are given, in the context of the two presented applications. Keywords: Plan recognition, Intelligent interfaces, Task adaptation | |||
| Interaction with a Mixed-Initiative System for Exploratory Data Analysis | | BIBAK | PDF | 15-22 | |
| Robert St. Amant; Paul R. Cohen | |||
| Exploratory data analysis (EDA) plays an increasingly important role in
statistical analysis. EDA is difficult, however, even with the help of modern
statistical software. We have developed an assistant for data exploration,
based on AI planning techniques, that addresses some of the strategic
shortcomings of conventional software. This paper illustrates the behavior of
the system, gives a high level description of its design, and discusses its
experimental evaluation. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Planning, Data exploration | |||
| Segmented Interaction History in a Collaborative Interface Agent | | BIBAK | PDF | 23-30 | |
| Charles Rich; Candace L. Sidner | |||
| We have developed an application-independent toolkit, called Collagen, based
on the SharedPlan theory of collaborative discourse, in which interaction
histories are hierarchically structured according to a user's goals and
intentions. We have used Collagen to implement an example collaborative
interface agent with discourse processing, but not natural language
understanding. In this paper, we concentrate on how a segmented interaction
history supports user orientation, intelligent assistance, and transformations,
such as returning to earlier points in the problem solving process and
replaying segments in a new context. Keywords: Interaction history, Discourse, Segment, Collaboration, Interface agent,
Undo, Replay | |||
| Direct Manipulation for Comprehensible, Predictable and Controllable User Interfaces | | BIBAK | PDF | 33-39 | |
| Ben Shneiderman | |||
| Direct manipulation user interfaces have proven their worth over two
decades, but they are still in their youth. Dramatic opportunities exist to
develop direct manipulation programming to create end-user programming tools,
dynamic queries to perform information search in large databases, and
information visualization to support network database browsing. Direct
manipulation depends on visual representation of the objects and actions of
interest, physical actions or pointing instead of complex syntax, and rapid
incremental reversible operations whose effect on the object of interest is
immediately visible. This strategy can lead to user interfaces that are
comprehensible, predictable and controllable. Direct manipulation interfaces
are seen as more likely candidates to influence advanced user interfaces than
adaptive, autonomous, intelligent agents. User control and responsibility are
highly desirable.
Note: This paper is adapted, with permission of the publisher, from the forthcoming book: Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction (3rd Edition), Addison Wesley, Reading, MA (1997). Keywords: User interface, Direct manipulation, Agents | |||
| Intelligent Software | | BIB | PDF | 41-43 | |
| Pattie Maes | |||
| The Selection Recognition Agent: Instant Access to Relevant Information and Operations | | BIBAK | PDF | 47-52 | |
| Milind S. Pandit; Sameer Kalbag | |||
| We present the Selection Recognition Agent (SRA), a personal computer
application which recognizes meaningful words and phrases in text, and enables
useful operations on them. The SRA includes six recognition modules for
geographic names, dates, email addresses, phone numbers, Usenet newsgroup name
components, and URLs, as well as a module that enables useful operations on
text in general. The SRA runs on Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT and is
currently available free from Intel's home page (http://www.intel.com). Keywords: Selection, Recognition, Agent, Object-oriented interface, Geographic name,
Date, Email address, Phone number, Usenet news, URL, Web | |||
| Using Agents to Personalize the Web | | BIBAK | PDF | 53-60 | |
| Christoph G. Thomas; Gerhard Fischer | |||
| Users build personal information spaces (stored as bookmarks, hotlists, or
as a personal page of links) as their WWW-subset and interface to access the
World-Wide Web. As the WWW is a living "creature" that evolves and grows
permanently, users have to take care that their personal information spaces can
be kept manageable and up-to-date.
Our prototype system BASAR (Building Agents Supporting Adaptive Retrieval) provides users with assistance when managing their personal information spaces. This assistance is user-specific and done by software agents called web assistants and active views. Users delegate tasks to web assistants that perform actions on their views of the WWW, on the WWW itself, and on the history of all user actions. In this paper, we discuss aspects of the design-evaluation-redesign cycle of BASAR by focusing on questionnaires, assessment studies, and system evaluations. Keywords: Agents and agent-based interaction, Evaluation of agent-based interfaces,
World-Wide Web, Information overload, Personal information spaces | |||
| Multimodal User Interfaces in the Open Agent Architecture | | BIBAK | PDF | 61-68 | |
| Douglas B. Moran; Adam J. Cheyer; Luc E. Julia; David L. Martin; Sangkyu Park | |||
| The design and development of the Open Agent Architecture (OAA) system has
focused on providing access to agent-based applications through an intelligent,
cooperative, distributed, and multimodal agent-based user interfaces. The
current multimodal interface supports a mix of spoken language, handwriting and
gesture, and is adaptable to the user's preferences, resources and environment.
Only the primary user interface agents need run on the local computer, thereby
simplifying the task of using a range of applications from a variety of
platforms, especially low-powered computers such as Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs). An important consideration in the design of the OAA was to facilitate
mix-and-match: to facilitate the reuse of agents in new and unanticipated
applications, and to support rapid prototyping by facilitating the replacement
of agents by better versions.
The utility of the agents and tools developed as part of this ongoing research project has been demonstrated by their use as infrastructure in unrelated projects. Keywords: Agent architecture, Multimodal, Speech, Gesture, Handwriting, Natural
language | |||
| Generating Web-Based Presentations in Spatial Hypertext | | BIBAK | PDF | 71-78 | |
| Frank M., III Shipman; Richard Furuta; Catherine C. Marshall | |||
| Presentations frequently include material appropriated from external
sources; they may incorporate tabular data from published reports, photographs
from books, or clip art from purchased collections. With the growing use of
the World-Wide Web to disseminate information, there is the emerging potential
for a new style of presentation: one that interprets and organizes materials
produced by others and published on-line. Authoring such presentations
requires the analysis of the source information. However, current presentation
authoring software is designed to support traditional presentations, where
analysis is assumed a separate task at best supported by separate software.
This paper discusses experiences with using VIKI, a system designed to support
information analysis, for the authoring of such presentations. VIKI includes a
spatial parser to recognize implicit spatial structure generated during
analysis. This paper describes how initial experiences with use for path
authoring led to VIKI enhancements, including the adaptation of implicit
spatial structure recognition for the creation of presentations. Keywords: Presentation authoring, Analysis tools, Spatial parsing, Implicit structure,
Presentation models, Spatial hypertext, World-Wide Web, Walden's paths, VIKI | |||
| Adding Animated Presentation Agents to the Interface | | BIBAK | PDF | 79-86 | |
| Thomas Rist; Elisabeth Andre; Jochen Muller | |||
| A growing number of research projects both in academia and industries have
started to investigate the use of animated agents in the interface. Such
agents, either based on real video, cartoon-style drawings or even model-based
3D graphics, are likely to become integral parts of future user interfaces. To
be useful, however, interface agents have to be intelligent in the sense that
they exhibit a reasonable behavior. In this paper, we present a system that
uses a lifelike character, the so-called PPP Persona, to present multimedia
material to the user. This material has been either automatically generated or
fetched from the web and modified if necessary. The underlying approach is
based on our previous work on multimedia presentation planning. This core
approach is complemented by additional concepts, namely the temporal
coordination of presentation acts and the consideration of the human-factors
dimension of the added visual metaphor. Keywords: Animated user interface agents, Presentation techniques for web
applications, Automated multimedia authoring | |||
| Dynamic Dramatization of Multimedia Story Presentations | | BIBAK | PDF | 87-94 | |
| Nikitas M. Sgouros; George Papakonstantinou; Panagiotis Tsanakas | |||
| We describe a novel dynamic dramatization method for narrative
presentations. This method accepts as input the original story material, along
with a description of its plot written in a special-purpose language. It then
analyzes the plot to identify interesting dramatic situations in the story.
Based on this content analysis, a presentation manager organizes the
presentation and enriches it with appropriate multimedia effects. These
effects are associated with interesting dramatic situations, and serve to
increase suspense and emphasize plot developments in the narrative. Our method
can be used for the development of intelligent front-ends to story databases,
for directing assistants in computer-based renditions of narrative works, or
for real-time direction of interactive entertainment systems. We are
integrating this system in an interactive storytelling environment for Greek
mythology. Keywords: Art & entertainment, Intelligent front-ends for storytelling | |||
| Description and Recognition Methods for Sign Language Based on Gesture Components | | BIBAK | PDF | 97-104 | |
| Hirohiko Sagawa; Masaru Takeuchi; Masaru Ohki | |||
| Sign language gestures are inflected in accordance with the context. To
recognize such sign language properly, the structure of sign language must be
made clear. It is well known that the structure of sign language is
represented as a combination of basic components of gestures. Sign language
can be recognized by using such components. In this paper, a format to
describe sign language gestures and a method to recognize the meaning of the
gesture based on the components of gestures are discussed. Keywords: Sign language, Gesture description, Chereme, Pattern recognition | |||
| Haptic Output in Multimodal User Interfaces | | BIBAK | PDF | 105-112 | |
| Stefan Munch; Rudiger Dillmann | |||
| This paper presents an intelligent adaptive system for the integration of
haptic output in graphical user interfaces. The system observes the user's
actions, extracts meaningful features, and generates a user and application
specific model. When the model is sufficiently detailed, it is used to predict
the widget which is most likely to be used next by the user. Upon entering
this widget, two magnets in a specialized mouse are activated to stop the
movement, so target acquisition becomes easier and more comfortable. Besides
the intelligent control system, we will present several methods to generate
haptic cues which might be integrated in multimodal user interfaces in the
future. Keywords: Haptic output, User modelling, Adaptive interfaces, Intelligent feedback,
Multimodality | |||
| Helping Users Think in Three Dimensions: Steps Toward Incorporating Spatial Cognition in User Modelling | | BIBAK | PDF | 113-120 | |
| Michael Eisenberg; Ann Nishioka; M. E. Schreiner | |||
| Historically, efforts at user modelling in educational systems have tended
to employ knowledge representations in which symbolic (or "linguistic")
cognition is emphasized, and in which spatial/visual cognition is
underrepresented. In this paper, we describe our progress in developing user
models for an explicitly "spatial" educational application named HyperGami, in
which students design (and construct, out of paper) an endless variety of
three-dimensional polyhedra. This paper gives a brief description of the
HyperGami system; discusses our observations (and experimental results) in
understanding what makes certain polyhedral shapes difficult or easy to
visualize; and describes the ideas through which we plan to augment HyperGami
with user models that could eventually form the computational basis for
"intelligent spatial critics." Keywords: Spatial cognition, User modelling, HyperGami, Polyhedra | |||
| Computational Approaches to Interface Design: What Works, What Doesn't, What Should and What Might | | BIBAK | PDF | 123-126 | |
| Christopher A. Miller; Kevin Corker; Mark Maybury; Angel R. Puerta | |||
| Tools which make use of computational processes -- mathematical, algorithmic
and/or knowledge-based -- to perform portions of the design, evaluation and/or
construction of interfaces have become increasingly available and powerful.
Nevertheless, there is little agreement as to the appropriate role for a
computational tool to play in the interface design process. Current tools fall
into broad classes depending on which portions, and how much, of the design
process they automate. The purpose of this panel is to view and generalize
about computational approaches developed to date, discuss the tasks which for
which they are suited, and suggest methods to enhance their utility and
acceptance. Panel participants represent a wide diversity of application
domains and methodologies. This should provide for lively discussion about
implementation approaches, accuracy of design decisions, acceptability of
representational tradeoffs and the optimal role for a computational tool to
play in the interface design process. Keywords: Interface design, Adaptive interfaces, Human performance modeling, User
interface generation, Information management | |||
| Top-Down Hierarchical Planning of Coherent Visual Discourse | | BIBAK | PDF | 129-136 | |
| Michelle X. Zhou; Steven K. Feiner | |||
| A visual discourse is a series of connected visual displays. A coherent
visual discourse requires smooth transitions between displays, consistent
design within and across displays, and successful integration of new
information into existing displays. We present an approach for automatically
designing a coherent visual discourse. A top-down, hierarchical-decomposition
partial-order planner is used to efficiently plan the visual discourse. Visual
representations are modelled as visual objects, graphical techniques are
employed as planning operators, and design policies are encoded as constraints.
This approach not only improves the computational efficiency compared to
search-based approaches, but also facilitates knowledge encoding, and ensures
global coherency. Keywords: Top-down hierarchical planning, Automated graphics generation,
Knowledge-based user interfaces | |||
| Declarative Models of Presentation | | BIBAK | PDF | 137-144 | |
| Pablo Castells; Pedro Szekely; Ewald Salcher | |||
| Current interface development tools cannot be used to specify complex
displays without resorting to programming using a toolkit or graphics package.
Interface builders and multi-media authoring tools only support the
construction of static displays where the components of the display are known
at design time (e.g., buttons, menus). This paper describes a presentation
modeling system where complex displays of dynamically changing data can be
modeled declaratively. The system incorporates principles of graphic design
such as guides and grids, supports constraint-based layout and automatic update
when data changes, has facilities for easily specifying the layout of
collections of data, and has facilities for making displays sensitive to the
characteristics of the data being presented and the presentation context (e.g.,
amount of space available). Finally, the models are designed to be amenable to
interactive specification and specification using demonstrational techniques. Keywords: Model-based user interfaces, User interface design techniques, User
interface development tools, Graphic design | |||
| Integrating Planning and Task-Based Design for Multimedia Presentation | | BIBAK | PDF | 145-152 | |
| Stephan Kerpedjiev; Giuseppe Carenini; Steven F. Roth; A Johanna D.Moore | |||
| We claim that automatic multimedia presentation can be modeled by
integrating two complementary approaches to automatic design: hierarchical
planning to achieve communicative goals, and task-based graphic design. The
interface between the two approaches is a domain and media independent layer of
communicative goals and actions. A planning process decomposes domain-specific
goals to domain-independent goals, which in turn are realized by media-specific
techniques. One of these techniques is task-based graphic design. We apply
our approach to presenting information from large data sets using natural
language and information graphics. Keywords: Multimedia presentation, Information seeking tasks, Media allocation,
Information graphics, Presentation planning | |||
| The Pedagogical Design Studio: Exploiting Artifact-Based Task Models for Constructivist Learning | | BIBAK | PDF | 155-162 | |
| James C. Lester; Patrick J. FitzGerald; Brian A. Stone | |||
| Intelligent learning environments that support constructivism should provide
active learning experiences that are customized for individual learners. To do
so, they must determine learner intent and detect misconceptions, and this
diagnosis must be performed as non-invasively as possible. To this end, we
propose the pedagogical design studio, a design-centered framework for learning
environment interfaces. Pedagogical design studios provide learners with a
rich, direct manipulation design experience. By exploiting an artifact-based
task model that preserves a tight mapping between the interface state and
design sub-tasks, they non-invasively infer learners' intent and detect
misconceptions. The task model is then used to tailor problem presentation,
produce a customized musical score, and modulate problem-solving intervention.
To explore these notions, we have implemented a pedagogical design studio for a
constructivist learning environment that provides instruction to middle school
students about botanical anatomy and physiology. Evaluations suggest that the
design studio framework constitutes an effective approach to interfaces that
support constructivist learning. Keywords: Learning environments, Tutoring systems, Design, Task models | |||
| Some Interface Issues in Developing Intelligent Communications Aids for People with Disabilities | | BIBAK | PDF | 163-170 | |
| Kathleen F. McCoy; Patrick Demasco; Christopher A. Pennington; Arlene Luberoff Badman | |||
| Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is the field of study
concerned with providing devices and techniques to augment the communicative
ability of a person whose disability makes it difficult to speak in an
understandable fashion. For several years, we have been applying natural
language processing techniques to the field of AAC in order to develop
intelligent communication aids that attempt to provide linguistically "correct"
output while speeding communication rate. In this paper we describe some of
the interface issues that must be considered when developing such a device. We
focus on a project aimed at a group of users who have cognitive impairments
that affect their linguistic ability. A prototype system is under development
which will hopefully not only prove to be an effective communication aid, but
may provide some language intervention benefits for this population. Keywords: Intelligent augmentative communication devices, Natural language processing,
Interfaces for people with disabilities | |||
| Compelling Intelligent User Interfaces: How Much AI? | | BIBA | PDF | 173-175 | |
| Joe Marks; Larry Birnbaum; Eric Horvitz; David Kurlander; Henry Lieberman; Steve Roth | |||
| Efforts to incorporate intelligence into the user interface have been
underway for decades, but the commercial impact of this work has not lived up
to early expectations, and is not immediately apparent. This situation appears
to be changing. However, so far the most interesting intelligent user
interfaces (IUIs) have tended to use minimal or simplistic AI. In this panel
we consider whether more or less AI is the key to the development of compelling
IUIs.
The panelists will present examples of compelling IUIs that use a selection of AI techniques, mostly simple, but some complex. Each panelist will then comment on the merits of different kinds and quantities of AI in the development of pragmatic interface technology. | |||
| Evaluating the Utility and Usability of an Adaptive Hypermedia System | | BIBAK | PDF | 179-186 | |
| Kristina Höök | |||
| We have evaluated an adaptive hypermedia system, PUSH, and compared it to a
non-adaptive variant of the same system. Based on an inferred information
seeking task, PUSH chooses what to show and what to hide in a page using a
stretchtext technique, thus attempting to avoid information overload.
We studied how successful the subjects were in retrieving the most relevant information, and found that the subjects' solutions were influenced by the choice made by the adaptive system. We also studied how much the adaptivity reduced the amount of actions needed, and found that subjects made substantially fewer actions in the adaptive case. A third measurement was the subjects subjective preferences for the adaptive or the non-adaptive system, were we found that the subjects clearly preferred the adaptive system. It seems as if it requires less decisions on behalf of the subject, thereby reducing their cognitive load. Keywords: Adaptive hypermedia, Empirical evaluation, Intelligent interfaces, Usability | |||
| Multi-Level User Support through Adaptive Hypermedia: A Highly Application-Independent Help Component | | BIBAK | PDF | 187-194 | |
| L. Miguel Encarnacao | |||
| Adaptive help components are an essential extension for complex systems that
aim to provide usability to a broad range of users with different levels of
expertise. The increasing availability of distributed hypermedia information
generates new challenges for the development of adaptive help systems,
including the realization of appropriate presentation, navigation, user
modeling, and the integration with existing applications.
After identifying the shortcomings of current hypermedia systems, we present an adaptive hypermedia help system that supports context-sensitive and user-adaptive presentation of hypermedia help variants on different levels of the user's dialog with the application. The system supports user-controlled help adaptation and agent-based retrieval of additional hypermedia help information, and can easily be integrated into new and existing applications. This has already been realized with sample application systems in the area of medical imaging and CAD. Keywords: Adaptive hypermedia help systems, Multi-level user support, Graphical user
interfaces, Distributed hypermedia help, User modeling, Navigation support,
User-controlled help adaptation, Help agent, Development framework, Medical and
CAD applications | |||
| Decision Making in Intelligent User Interfaces | | BIBAK | PDF | 195-202 | |
| Constantine Stephanidis; Charalampos Karagiannidis; Adamantios Koumpis | |||
| Intelligent user interfaces are characterised by their capability to adapt
at run-time and make several communication decisions concerning 'what', 'when',
'why' and 'how' to communicate, through a certain adaptation strategy. In this
paper, we present a methodological approach to assist this decision making
process, which is based on a clear separation of the important attributes that
characterise the adaptation strategy, namely the adaptation determinants,
constituents, goals and rules. Based on this separation, we also present a
methodological approach for the formulation of adaptation rules, which utilises
techniques from the domain of multiple criteria decision making. It is argued
that, following the proposed approach, the adaptation strategy can be easily
customised to the requirements of different application domains and user
groups, and can be re-used with minor modifications in different applications.
As a result, developers of intelligent user interfaces can be significantly
assisted, and users can be empowered to exploit the benefits of intelligent
interfaces. Keywords: Run-time adaptation, Adaptation strategy, Decision making | |||
| What Makes an Intelligent User Interface Intelligent? | | BIBA | PDF | 205 | |
| Doug Riecken | |||
| In this talk I wish to consider and examine both current research and "state
of the art" technologies applied in advancing human-computer interaction. With
a focus on user interfaces, a critical question will be addressed. What makes
an Intelligent User Interface (IUI) intelligent? This question provides two
distinct venues of investigation. First, the implications of a user's "human
intelligence" as applied in a set of dialogs and goal-directed tasks performed
collectively by both a user and a computer. Second, the potential ability for
computers to perform in such a manner that they elicit users to interpret a
computer's actions as providing a type of "conscious" behavior. The essence of
this investigation will attempt to determine: "where is the intelligence?"
During this investigation several key questions will act as guides. How can user interfaces engage users to act more intelligently? What empirical knowledge regarding the presentation of information can be applied in the design of user interfaces and dialog models? How will users perceive and accept the evolving ability of computers to perform surrogate tasks correctly? What are current and future potential models of interactive computing? How useful are sophisticated reasoning and knowledge-base technologies in UI design? What impact does the "WIRED" and "CYBER" generations of users have on the evolution of IUIs? A closing issue motivated in this talk addresses the "what if?" and the "why not now?" opportunities for research and development. As the year 2000 approaches, significant changes have occurred in academic and industrial research policies and practices. Future growth in the domain of IUIs is plausible based on the effective focus of research to: (1) identify the right problems and (2) introduce generalized solutions to the "real world." If IUIs are to be successful, then a pragmatic timeline defining their deployment as essential technologies for everyone is necessary. | |||
| An Adaptive Short List for Documents on the World Wide Web | | BIBAK | PDF | 209-211 | |
| Matjaz Debevc; Beth Meyer; Rajko Svecko | |||
| Since the World Wide Web (WWW) is so popular and growing so quickly, users
have almost an infinite number of sites to choose from. Bookmark features in
web browsers allow users to easily record the sites that they would like to be
able to view again, without having to repeatedly search through the WWW.
However, bookmark lists for active web users can grow very long very quickly.
Since user-maintained bookmark lists can easily grow long and somewhat harder
to use, it is useful to have an automatically maintained shorter list of useful
sites.
This paper describes an Adaptive Short List of commonly used sites. This feature, when integrated into web browsing software, would enable users to check the most probable sites quickly, without having to search through every bookmark they've ever created. We also present a decision algorithm for selecting sites to include in this list. The goal of this system is to determine the most appropriate sites to include in the Adaptive Short List, based on usage data which the system collects and analyzes while the user works. Keywords: User interface, Adaptive user interface, World Wide Web, Intelligent system,
User modelling | |||
| An Interface Agent for Nonroutine Tasks | | BIBAK | PDF | 213-216 | |
| Yuzo Fujishima | |||
| To assist an application software user in nonroutine tasks, a method named
GIO was devised. By the method, the user can automatically achieve again a
goal that was once achieved. The goal is represented in terms of input to and
output from the application. The pieces of input that are collectively
sufficient to achieve the goal are extracted from a record of input to and
output from the application by a sub-method called input slicing. In
performing input slicing, the knowledge about the relevance between pieces of
input is used. Then the extracted pieces are input to the application and the
goal is achieved. To evaluate the method, an interface agent named DIA was
implemented. DIA assists a program debugger user in reproducing a state of the
program to be debugged. Keywords: Interface agent, Programming-by-demonstration, Goal-oriented interface,
Debugger | |||
| An Interface for Collaborative and Coached Approaches to Learning Critical Inquiry | | BIBAK | PDF | 217-220 | |
| Dan Suthers | |||
| The software to be demonstrated has been designed to support learning of
critical inquiry skills, particularly in science. The software includes a
graphical "inquiry diagram" interface for the construction of arguments, a
coach that comments on the inquiry process via this interface, and associated
tools for collaborative learning. Research issues include interface design in
support of coaching and collaborative learning. Keywords: Coaching, Collaborative learning, Critical inquiry | |||
| Automating a Classification Task Based on an Augmented Thesaurus | | BIBAK | PDF | 221-224 | |
| Eunok Paek; Hye-Jeong Jeon | |||
| Most classification tasks that have been tackled for automation are ones
involving complex chains of causal reasoning. However, our daily lives are
filled with simple classification tasks. We propose a lexicon-based solution
to the problem of automating simple classifications, and hence provide an
intelligent user interface for personal information management. Although a
classical organization of a lexical database constitutes the backbone for our
system as it provides a basis for semantic inheritance, we found that its
information content was far from being sufficient. In particular, we felt it
necessary to augment the existing lexical database with various kinds of
contextual information such as the user's preference for classification
criteria, personal information regarding the user, knowledge about the actions
and objects associated with certain lexical items, and certain kinds of
commonsense knowledge. We believe that our system provides a simple and
easy-to-use interface to the personal information management task. Keywords: Automatic classification, Knowledge-based tools, Lexical semantics,
Inheritance | |||
| Easing Interaction through User-Awareness | | BIBAK | PDF | 225-228 | |
| Alain Karsenty | |||
| In the context of CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative work), we aim to ease
the interaction between users through the use of user-aware agents. The
purpose of those agents is to be aware of the user's state (e.g. is the user
typing on the keyboard, meeting with other people, on the phone, etc.). We
will first describe an application we developed on top of a Mediaspace,
EasyMeeting, based on user-aware agents. Second, we will present the
implementation (multi-agent architecture, language) and conclude with a
discussion of the various aspects of the agents. We believe, the user-aware
agents are a step toward a better communication man-machine. Instead of the
usual approach in which users consciously interact with the machine, we make
the computer aware of the users and thus make users unconsciously interact with
the computer. Keywords: Groupware, Computer-supported cooperative work, Computer-human interaction,
Intelligent agents, Mediaspace | |||
| Individual User Interfaces and Model-Based User Interface Software Tools | | BIBAK | PDF | 229-232 | |
| Egbert Schlungbaum | |||
| Currently, most of model-based user interface software tools use task,
application, and presentation models to generate the running user interface.
The point of this paper is to use an additional user model to create individual
user interfaces. For it, individual user interfaces and model-based tools are
analyzed briefly to define the starting point for this research work.
The viability of this approach is discussed with an example using the TADEUS environment. Furthermore, some ideas are presented to extend the MASTERMIND system. Keywords: Model-based user interface software tools, Model-based user interface
development, Explicit user model, MASTERMIND, TADEUS | |||
| Inductive Task Modeling for User Interface Customization | | BIBAK | PDF | 233-236 | |
| David Maulsby | |||
| This paper describes ActionStreams, a system for inducing task models from
observations of user activity. The model can represent several task
structures: hierarchy, variable sequencing, mandatory vs. optional actions, and
interleaved sequences. The task models can be used for just-in-time automation
and for guidance in user interface design. Keywords: Adaptive user interface, Machine learning, Task models, Model-based user
interface design, Programming by demonstration | |||
| Intelligent Network News Reader | | BIBAK | PDF | 237-240 | |
| Hitoshi Isahara; Hiromi Ozaku | |||
| We are developing an Intelligent Network News Reader which extracts news
articles for the user. In contrast to ordinary information retrieval and
abstract generation, this method utilizes an "information context" to select
articles from newsgroups on the internet.
The salient feature of this system is that it retrieves articles dynamically, adapting to the user's interests, not classifying them beforehand. Since this system measures the semantic distance between articles, it is possible to refer to the necessary information without being constrained within a particular news group. We will finish our prototype of the Intelligent Network News Reader in March 1997 and its practical version in March 1998. Keywords: Network news reader, Natural language processing, Information retrieval | |||
| Intelligent Word-Prediction to Enhance Text Input Rate (A Syntactic Analysis-Based Word-Prediction Aid for People with Severe Motor and Speech Disability) | | BIBAK | PDF | 241-244 | |
| Nestor Garay-Vitoria; Julio Gonzalez-Abascal | |||
| Word-prediction is a technique commonly used to reduce the amount of
keystrokes needed to input text by people with severe physical disabilities.
Several methods based on word frequencies have been developed so far. Many of
them do not take advantage of the information inherent to the syntactic
sentence structure. This paper puts forth a word-prediction method based on
the syntactical analysis of a sentence, carried out using the "chart" parsing
method proposed by Allen. This method also adapts its behaviour to the user's
lexicon. The obtained results are compared to others obtained from a pure
statistical predictor. Keywords: Motor disabilities, Input speed enhancement, Word-prediction, Syntax
analysis, Chart technique, Adaptation | |||
| Interactive Model-Based Coding for Face Metaphor User Interface in Network Communications | | BIBAK | PDF | 245-248 | |
| Kazuo Ohzeki; Takahiro Saito; Masahide Kaneko; Hiroshi Harashima | |||
| The model-based coding is a new semantic-based coding which utilizes a
common knowledge database being both at a transmitter and its receiver. We
have proposed the interactive model-based coding for the face metaphor user
interface applications such as multimedia e-mail, WWW and agents. Three points
are addressed in this paper. (1) We have constructed a framework of
interactive model-based coding tool in network communications environment. (2)
We show that motion parameter description for face expressions should have both
CC-based synthesis and natural image-based synthesis. The corresponding
descriptions by relative and absolute way are necessary for sufficient face
metaphor expressions. (3) We have developed the encoder and decoder. The
motion parameters are transmitted from experimental server to a receiver. The
decoded motion picture can be demonstrated both by a videotape and by a PC
on-line browsing through the internet. Keywords: Interactive, Intelligent coding, Motion detection, Face metaphor, Face
expression, Agent | |||
| Management of Interface Design Knowledge with MOBI-D | | BIBAK | PDF | 249-252 | |
| Angel R. Puerta; David Maulsby | |||
| Effective guidelines for interface construction require developers to apply
a user-centered approach in their designs. Yet, developers lack integrated
tools that would allow them to work with high-level concepts, such as user
tasks, and to relate them to lower level elements, such as widgets, in their
interface designs.
The Model-Based Interface Designer (MOBI-D) is a suite of tools for the management, visualization, editing, and interactive refinement of interface-design knowledge at multiple levels of abstraction. MOBI-D represents knowledge via declarative interface models that assign specific knowledge roles to each model component. Developers work in an integrated environment with abstract concepts such as user tasks, domain objects, presentation styles, dialogs, and user types while being able to relate those concepts to concrete interface elements such as push buttons. MOBI-D is the first development environment to integrate the disparate elements of interface design into structured conceptual units -- interface models -- and to define an interface design as an explicit declarative element of such units. Keywords: Model-based interface development, Interface models, User interface
development tools | |||
| Providing User Support for Interactive Applications with FUSE | | BIBAK | PDF | 253-256 | |
| Frank Lonczewski | |||
| FUSE (Formal User Interface Specification Environment) is an integrated user
interface development environment that offers tool-based support for all phases
of the interface design process. PLUG-IN forms one part of FUSE. Its purpose
is to provide support for the end-user working with user interfaces generated
by FUSE. PLUG-IN produces dynamic on-line help pages and animation sequences
on the fly. On the dynamic help pages textual help for the user is displayed
whereas the animation sequences are used to show how the user can interact with
the application. In the presentation the architecture of FUSE is discussed.
Furthermore PLUG-IN's user guidance capabilities are demonstrated by looking at
the user interface of an interactive ISDN telephone simulation. Keywords: Intelligent user interfaces, Model-based user interface design, User
guidance, Generated on-line help systems | |||
| A Response Model for a CG Character Based on Timing of Interactions in a Multimodal Human Interface | | BIBAK | PDF | 257-260 | |
| Kenji Sakamoto; Haruo Hinode; Keiko Watanuki; Susumu Seki; Jiro Kiyama; Fumio Togawa | |||
| In this paper, we propose a response model for a multimodal human interface,
by inserting listener responses particular times by detecting keywords from the
user's utterances and controlling the face direction of a human-like Computer
Graphics (CG) character according to the direction of the user's attention
which is determined by tracing user's face. Then we integrated the response
model into a prototype system, and evaluated its efficiency. Keywords: Multimodal human interface, Timing of interaction, Listener response, Face
direction | |||
| The Stick-e Note Architecture: Extending the Interface Beyond the User | | BIBAK | PDF | 261-264 | |
| Jason Pascoe | |||
| This paper proposes a redefinition of the human-computer interface,
extending its boundaries to encompass interaction with the user's physical
environment. This extension to the interface enables computers to become aware
of their context of use and intelligently adapt their activities and interface
to suit their current circumstances.
Context-awareness promises to greatly enhance user interfaces, but the complexity of capturing, representing and processing contextual data, presents a major obstacle to its further development. The Stick-e Note Architecture is proposed as a solution to this problem, offering a universal means of providing context-awareness through an easily understood metaphor based on the Post-It note. Keywords: Context-aware computing, Stick-e note architecture, Mobile computing,
Ubiquitous computing, Situated information spaces | |||
| Wizards, Guides, and Beyond: Rational and Empirical Methods for Selecting Optimal Intelligent User Interface Agents | | BIBAK | PDF | 265-268 | |
| D. Christopher Dryer | |||
| User interface (UI) agents are new intelligent user interface technologies
that can help prevent people from making mistakes by guiding them through
information system tasks. To be effective, UI agents must be applied to tasks
that exploit the potentials of UI agents without expecting them to perform
beyond their constraints. The potentials and constraints of two kinds of UI
agents (wizards and guides) were considered, and criteria for the application
of these UI agents were outlined. An empirical study of 61 OS/2 Warp beta
testers with varying degrees of computer experience is reported that assessed
respondents' perceptions of the importance, frequency, and difficulty of 57
information system tasks. Empirical and rational analyses were used to select
a set of tasks to which UI agent technologies were applied in the latest
release of IBM's OS/2 Warp operating system. Keywords: Agents, Artificial intelligence, Graphical user interface, Guides,
Intelligent user interfaces, Wizards | |||