Dynamic Distribution and Layouting of Model-Based User Interfaces in Smart Environments

Abstract

The developments in computer technology in the last decade change the ways of computer utilization. The emerging smart environments make it possible to build ubiquitous applications that assist users during their everyday life, at any time, in any context. But the variety of contexts-of-use (user, platform and environment) makes the development of such ubiquitous applications for smart environments and especially its user interfaces a challenging and time-consuming task. We propose a model-based approach, which allows adapting the user interface at runtime to numerous (also unknown) contexts-of-use. Based on a user interface modelling language, defining the fundamentals and constraints of the user interface, a runtime architecture exploits the description to adapt the user interface to the current context-of-use. The architecture provides automatic distribution and layout algorithms for adapting the applications also to contexts unforeseen at design time. Designers do not specify predefined adaptations for each specific situation, but adaptation constraints and guidelines. Furthermore, users are provided with a meta user interface to influence the adaptations according to their needs. A smart home energy management system serves as running example to illustrate the approach.

@INCOLLECTION{Roscher2011,
  author = {Dirk Roscher and Grzegorz Lehmann and Veit Schwartze and Marco Blumendorf and Sahin Albayrak},
  title = {Dynamic Distribution and Layouting of Model-Based User Interfaces
	in Smart Environments},
  booktitle = {Model-Driven Development of Advanced User Interfaces},
  publisher = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg},
  year = {2011},
  editor = {Hussmann, Heinrich and Meixner, Gerrit and Zuehlke, Detlef},
  volume = {340},
  series = {Studies in Computational Intelligence},
  pages = {171-197},
  note = {10.1007/978-3-642-14562-9_9},
  abstract = {The developments in computer technology in the last decade change
	the ways of computer utilization. The emerging smart environments
	make it possible to build ubiquitous applications that assist users
	during their everyday life, at any time, in any context. But the
	variety of contexts-of-use (user, platform and environment) makes
	the development of such ubiquitous applications for smart environments
	and especially its user interfaces a challenging and time-consuming
	task. We propose a model-based approach, which allows adapting the
	user interface at runtime to numerous (also unknown) contexts-of-use.
	Based on a user interface modelling language, defining the fundamentals
	and constraints of the user interface, a runtime architecture exploits
	the description to adapt the user interface to the current context-of-use.
	The architecture provides automatic distribution and layout algorithms
	for adapting the applications also to contexts unforeseen at design
	time. Designers do not specify predefined adaptations for each specific
	situation, but adaptation constraints and guidelines. Furthermore,
	users are provided with a meta user interface to influence the adaptations
	according to their needs. A smart home energy management system serves
	as running example to illustrate the approach.},
  affiliation = {DAI-Labor, TU-Berlin, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 7, 10587 Berlin, Germany},
  owner = {roscher},
  timestamp = {2011.03.07},
  url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14562-9_9}
}
Authors:
Dirk Roscher, Grzegorz Lehmann, Veit Schwartze, Marco Blumendorf, Sahin Albayrak
Category:
Book Contribution
Year:
2011
Location:
Springer Berlin / Heidelberg
Link: