Controlling Home and Office Appliances with Smart Phones

Most home and office appliances contain microprocessors. All these appliances have some user interface, but many users become frustrated with their appliances' difficult, complex functions. However, a new framework, the personal universal controller (PUC), lets users interact with appliances through a separate user interface device that they carry. Smart phones are good candidates for providing interfaces because they're common, their communication capabilities connect users to appliances, and they're already being used for a wide range of applications. The framework includes an abstract specification language for describing appliances, a two-way communication protocol, and automatic interface generation software that customizes user interfaces. This article overviews the PUC system and describes in detail the design and implementation of automatic interface generation for Microsoft's Smartphone platform.     

支持用户界面自动生成的界面模型

为实现软件用户界面的工程设计,论文提出了一种支持用户界面自动生成的界面模型FMP。它利用功能模型(F)和对象模型(M)捕捉与界面相关的功能和数据信息,用交互模型(M)表达这些信息和控制关系。然后依据交互模型的描述,利用表示模型(P)建立内部对象和外部显示元素的对应关系,规划界面布局,从而指导实现用户界面的自动生成。     

基于智能规划的界面自动生成方法研究

将智能规划方法引入到软件工程中的界面设计与开发领域,提出了一种基于智能规划的界面自动生成方法。应用该方法进行界面设计,可以较好地实现界面设计与代码实现的分离,降低程序的耦合度,并且可以明确界面间的逻辑关系,使开发者可以不用通过手动编程来实现界面先后调用的逻辑顺序。实践证明,该方法可以大大降低界面开发者的工作强度,缩短软件开发周期,节约开发成本。     

基于MVC模式的Web用户界面建模

分析了企业信息系统的Web用户界面开发特性,研究了当前主流前端框架的MVC(模型-视图-控制器)设计模式应用,针对Web前端开发需求及最佳实践方法,提出了一种符合MVC用户界面开发最佳实践的组件化Web用户界面建模方法.设计一套抽象和描述Web用户界面组件的UML(统一建模语言)概要文件,从界面数据模型、界面组件模型到界面交互模型等3个方面完成Web用户界面建模.以一个装修行业定制型ERP(企业资源计划)系统为例,通过用户界面建模实践,验证了本建模方法的可行性、易用性和有效性.     

A visual shell interface to a database

This paper describes a visual command language for a workstation with a bit-mapped display and a mouse that can be used to create different user interfaces. Primitive interface components can be combined into more complex user interfaces. The user specifies interconnections between these components over which data and commands can be sent by pointing with a mouse. Primitive interface components are described for creating several different database user interfaces. The design and implementation of the software architecture is described, including the primitives for database interfaces and the communication protocols used by the system.     

Investigating the affective quality of interactivity by motion feedback in mobile touchscreen user interfaces

Emotion is a key aspect of user experience. To design a user interface for positive emotional experience, the affective quality of the user interface needs to be carefully considered. A major factor of affective quality in today's user interface for digital media is interactivity, in which motion feedback plays a significant role as an element. This role of motion feedback is particularly evident in touchscreen user interfaces that have been adopted rapidly in mobile devices. This paper presents two empirical studies performed to increase our understanding of motion feedback in terms of affective quality in mobile touchscreen user interfaces. In the first study, the relationships between three general motion properties and a selected set of affective qualities are examined. The results of this study provide a guideline for the design of motion feedback in existing mobile touchscreen user interfaces. The second study explores a new dimension of interactivity that is the Weight factor of Laban's Effort system. To experiment the Weight factor in a mobile touchscreen user interface, a pressure sensitive prototype was developed to recognize the amount of force applied by the user's finger action. With this prototype, the effects of implementing pressure requirements on four different types of user interfaces were examined. Results show that implementing the Weight factor can significantly influence the affective quality and complement the physical feel of a user interface. The issues to consider for effective implementation are also discussed.     

笔式用户界面开发工具研究

笔式用户界面提供给用户更为自然的交互方式,然而,笔式用户界面的构造是一项非常困难的工作,一个可用的笔式用户界面系统往往需要多领域、多学科的知识.系统地论述了一个支持笔式用户界面开发的工具系统Penbuilder的设计实现.它基于笔交互的特性以及无处不在的计算环境的要求而设计,为笔式用户界面的开发提供高级的支持.基于Penbuilder的支持,设计开发了一批典型的笔式用户界面原型系统.该研究为笔式用户界面的构造与快速原型提供了有力的支持.     

交互式用户界面的形式化描述与性质验证

随着人机交互技术的发展,计算机和用户之间的接口越来越自然,但用户界面管理系统内部的复杂度却大大地增加了.目前提出的新一代用户界面的模型大都停留在概念模型阶段,缺乏对模型的严格描述和证明.该文结合对基于自然交互方式的用户界面的研究成果,归纳出了一个交互式用户界面的通用模型.为了保证系统设计的正确性,文章讨论了如何使用形式化描述语言LOTOS(language of temporal ordering specification)和基于动作的时序逻辑ACTL(action based temporal log     

Utilizing vector space models for user modeling within e-learning environments

User modeling has been found to enhance the effectiveness and/or usability of software systems through the representation of certain properties of a particular user. This paper presents the research and the results of the development of a user modeling system for the implementation of student models within e-learning environments, utilizing vector space models. The central challenge has been to exploit the possibilities of IUI research on user models without compromising the performance of the overall system. The research described in this paper has aimed to augment the user interface of an existing e-learning environment with relevant aspects from the domain of intelligent user interfaces, through developing a student modeling component.     

一种基于模式的界面生成方法

多设备环境下,应用程序在不同设备上用户界面的差异性导致了界面设计工作的重复和困难.应用界面模式,开发者可以脱离使用繁琐的底层控件生成用户界面的开发方法,专注于宏观的交互方案,从而为多设备界面生成问题提供一个可能的解.基于PLML,本文设计了一个设备无关的界面模式描述语言SPLML用于表示基于模式的界面元素信息,实现了不同平台上的界面模式生成框架UIPF用于支持界面自动化生成,并通过具体案例说明了该方案的可行性和有效性.     

Universal Remote Console-based next-generation accessible television

This paper presents a new approach to make current and future television universally accessible. The proposed approach provides a means of universal accessibility both for remotely operating the TV set and for interacting with online services delivered through the TV. This proposal is based on the ISO/IEC 24752 “Universal Remote Console” (URC) standard. This standard defines an abstract user interface layer called the “user interface socket” and allows the development of pluggable (plug-in) user interfaces for any type of user and any control device. The proposed approach lays the foundation for the development of advanced user interfaces that can be interacted within various modalities. Different prototypes have been developed based on this approach and tested with end users. The user tests have shown this approach to be a viable option for the proposed scenarios. Based on the experience gathered with the prototypes, recommendations and implementation options are suggested for commercial adoption.     

Software environment architectures and user interface facilities

The authors discuss the demands and constraints on a user interface management system for a software environment, and the relation between the architecture of the environment and the user interface management system. A model for designing user interface management systems for large extensible environments is presented. This model synthesizes several recent advances in user interfaces and specializes them to the domain of software environments. The model can be applied to a wide variety of environment contexts. A prototype implementation is described     

Off-line programming motion and process commands for robotic welding of space shuttle main engines

An intelligent, adaptive robotic system is being developed for a low-volume, high precision process: the welding of the Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSMEs). The overall system goals include the development of a workstation-based system to provide flexible, efficient off-line programming of both motion and welding process commands for the robotic workcell. This offline programming system includes: implementation of a user interface for weld engineers, generation of both geometric and process commands for the workcell, development of a weld parameter database system, and display of both run-time and archived data. This article presents details of the off-line programming system, including interfaces, implementation, and limitations. The system will be implemented on the SSME production floor, and will be benchmarked in effectiveness and productivity against commercially available robotic welding systems presently in use. The overall system development is a joint effort between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and two divisions of Rockwell International: Rocketdyne and the Science Center.     

On the interaction between plan recognition and intelligent interfaces

Plan recognition is an active research area in automatic reasoning, as well as a promising approach to engineering interfaces that can exploit models of user's plans and goals. Much research in the field has focused on the development of plan recognition algorithms to support particular user/system interactions, such as found in naturally occurring dialogues. However, two questions have typically remained unexamined: 1) exactly what kind of interface tasks can knowledge of a user's plans be used to support across communication modalities, and 2) how can such tasks in turn constrain development of plan recognition algorithms? In this paper we present a concrete exploration of these issues. In particular, we provide an assessment of plan recognition, with respect to the use of plan recognition in enhancing user interfaces. We clarify how use of a user model containing plans makes interfaces more intelligent and interactive (by providing an intelligent assistant that supports such tasks as advice generation, task completion, context-sensitive responses, error detection and recovery). We then show how interface tasks in turn provide constraints that must be satisfied in order for any plan recognizer to construct and represent a plan in ways that efficiently support these tasks. Finally, we survey how interfaces are fundamentally limited by current plan recognition approaches, and use these limitations to identify and motivate current research. Our research is developed in the context of CHECS, a plan-based design interface.     

Teallach: a model-based user interface development environment for object databases

Model-based user interface development environments show promise for improving the productivity of user interface developers, and possibly for improving the quality of developed interfaces. While model-based techniques have previously been applied to the area of database interfaces, they have not been specifically targeted at the important area of object database applications. Such applications make use of models that are semantically richer than their relational counterparts in terms of both data structures and application functionality. In general, model-based techniques have not addressed how the information referenced in such applications is manifested within the described models, and is utilised within the generated interface itself. This lack of experience with such systems has led to many model-based projects providing minimal support for certain features that are essential to such data intensive applications, and has prevented object database interface developers in particular from benefiting from model-based techniques. This paper presents the Teallach model-based user interface development environment for object databases, describing the models it supports, the relationships between these models, the tool used to construct interfaces using the models and the generation of Java programs from the declarative models. Distinctive features of Teallach include comprehensive facilities for linking models, a flexible development method, an open architecture, and the generation of running applications based on the models constructed by designers.     

Using consensus methods to construct adaptive interfaces in multimodal web-based systems

This paper presents a concept of adaptive development of user interfaces in multimodal web-based systems. Today, it is crucial for general access web-based systems that the user interface is properly designed and adjusted to user needs and capabilities. It is believed that adaptive interfaces could offer a possible solution to this problem. Here, we introduce the notion of the user profile for classification, the interface profile for describing the system interface, and the compound usability measure for evaluation of the interface. Consensus-based methods are applied for constructing the interface profiles appropriate to classes of users.     

From formal requirements to automated web testing and prototyping

Use cases and user interface prototypes are agile techniques used to specify required functionalities of an object-oriented system. Testing can find most errors of the software and ensure that the requirement specifications are satisfied by the application. We can derive test cases from use cases and run them in user interfaces, but we do it in a mechanical way. In this paper, we propose a new approach for automating the generation of user interface prototypes and test cases for web applications. Starting from a formalization of the requirements based on controlled use cases extended with the system glossary and the user interface specifications, we automatically generate web pages and test cases which are passed as parameters for an automated web testing tool.     

基于JAIN SIP的用户代理软件设计

会话初始化协议(SIP)是下一代网络中应用层的信令控制协议。JAIN SIP是用于实现SIP应用而提供的一套标准Java接口。提出了一个基于JAIN SIP的用户代理软件框架,包括图形用户界面(GUI)、SIP消息处理模块、媒体处理模块和SIP协议栈,并对各个功能模块进行了详细分析。用JAIN SIP来开发基于SIP协议的应用不仅可以提高开发效率,而且将使应用程序获得较高的可靠性和较好的移植性。