GVU Technical Report Series

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GVU Technical Report Series

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 27

The Conference Assistant: Combining Context-Awareness with Wearable Computing

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Dey, Anind K. ; Futakawa, Masayasu ; Salber, Daniel ; Abowd, Gregory D.

We describe the Conference Assistant, a prototype mobile, context-aware application that assists conference attendees. We discuss the strong relationship between context-awareness and wearable computing and apply this relationship in the Conference Assistant. The application uses a wide variety of context and enhances user interactions with both the environment and other users. We describe how the application is used and the context-aware architecture on which it was based.
An Architecture to Support Context-Aware Applications

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Dey, Anind K. ; Salber, Daniel ; Futakawa, Masayasu ; Abowd, Gregory D.

Context is an important, yet poorly utilized source of information in interactive computing. It is difficult to use because, unlike other forms of user input, there is not common, reusable way to handle context. Most context-aware applications have been built in an ad hoc manner. We discuss the requirements for dealing with context and present an architectural solution we have designed and implemented to help application designers build context-aware applications more easily. We illustrate the use of the architecture through a context-aware application that assists conference attendees.
Interacting with Multiple Alternatives Generated by Recognition Technologies

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Mankoff, Jennifer C. ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Hudson, Scott E.

Despite significant advances in recognition technologies in areas such as speech and gesture recognition, our experience tells us that recognition errors and uncertainty are unlikely to disappear. For the foreseeable future, use of recognition based systems will introduce uncertainty into the input process. If interactive systems are going to work robustly with recognition-based input, it will be necessary to consider uncertainty as a normal part of input handling rather than considering it to be an anomaly or an exceptional condition. This paper considers techniques for explicit treatment of input uncertainty in user interfaces. In particular, it considers a general class of techniques for the display of, and interaction with, multiple alternatives generated by recognition technologies. Augmentation of the typical event-handling infrastructure is discussed, as well as an application interface infrastructure which attempts to minimize the impact of uncertainty on the application. A prototype system that embodies this infrastructure is also considered.
Designing for Ubiquitous Computing: A Case Study in Context Sensing

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Salber, Daniel ; Dey, Anind K. ; Orr, Robert J. ; Abowd, Gregory D.

This paper reports ongoing experience with the design and everyday use of an electronic context-enabled in/out board. We designed this application as part of the development of a context toolkit and it proved a fruitful test-bed for investigating issues of context sensor fusion. We describe the first version of the application that used a single context sensor and explain some usability problems it raised. We analyze the limitations of available context sensors and conclude that the usability problems cannot be overcome using a single sensor. We suggest solutions relying on the use of multiple context sensors and sensor fusion.
A Context-based Infrastructure for Smart Environments

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Dey, Anind K. ; Salber, Daniel ; Abowd, Gregory D.

In order for a smart environment to provide services to its occupants, it must be able to detect its current state and determine what actions to take based on the context. We discuss the requirements for dealing with context in a smart environment and present a software infrastructure solution we have designed and implemented to help application designers build intelligent services and applications more easily. We describe the benefits of our infrastructure through applications we have built.
Towards a Better Understanding of Context and Context-Awareness

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Dey, Anind K. ; Abowd, Gregory D.

The use of context is important in interactive applications. It is particularly important for applications where the users context is changing rapidly, such as in both handheld and ubiquitous computing. In order to better understand how we can use context and facilitate the building of context-aware applications, we need to more fully understand what constitutes a context-aware application and what context is. Towards this goal, we have surveyed existing work in context-aware computing. In this paper, we provide an overview of the results of this survey and, in particular, definitions and categories of context and context-aware. We conclude with recommendations for how this better understanding of context inform a framework for the development of context-aware applications.
Error Correction Techniques for Handwriting, Speech, and Other Ambiguous or Error Prone Systems

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Mankoff, Jennifer C. ; Abowd, Gregory D.

Interfaces which support natural inputs such as handwriting and speech are becoming more prevalent. However, these recognition-based interface techniques are error prone. Despite research efforts to improve recognition rates, a certain amount of error will never be removed. Suitable research efforts should attend to the problem of correction techniques for these error prone techniques. Humans have developed countless ways to correct errors in understanding or clarify ambiguous statements. It is time for interface designers to focus on ways for computers to do the same. We present a survey of the design, implementation, and study of interfaces for correcting error prone input technologies. Previous work by others and our own research into flexible pen-based note-taking environments grounds our research into interface techniques for handling errors in recognition systems.
Supporting Capture and Access Interfaces for Informal and Opportunistic Meetings

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Brotherton, Jason Alan ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Truong, Khai Nhut

Automated support for the capture and access of live experiences is a common theme for ubiquitous computing. For certain capture situations, such as informatl or opportunistic gatherings, existing capture framesworks are inadequate for a number of reasons. They require too much time to initiate a capture session and they often are too inflexible to support unstructured and impromptu use. In this paper, we present a whiteboard capture application called DUMMBO, aimed to support opportunistic and serendipitous meeting capture. We emphasize an easy-to-initiate interface that mirrors as much as possible traditional whiteboard functionality. This is accompanied by visualization techniques for accessing captured meetings afterwards. By separating the physical interface for capture from the electronic interface for accessing captured meetings, we demonstrate how a capture and access application can be designed to better support its intended audience.
A Multi-Scale Timeline Slider for Stream Visualization and Control

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Richter, Heather Anne ; Brotherton, Jason Alan ; Abowd, Gregory D. ; Truong, Khai Nhut

We present a new user interface technique for the visualization and playback of long media streams decorated with significant events. Our Multi-Scale Timeline Slider allows users to precisely focus on a specific location in a very long media stream or set of streams based on significant events while also retaining the stream's entire context.
Automating the Capture of Design Knowledge: A Preliminary Study

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999) Richter, Heather Anne ; Abowd, Gregory D.

A large amount of design information that is generated during design often does not get recorded, resulting in a potential loss of important design knowledge. The design rationale community has offered methods for capturing and documenting this important design knowledge, but these methods have not succeeded in practice. We propose using ubiquitous computing technology to automatically capture design information as it is generated naturally in design meetings. In this paper, we report the results of a preliminary case study examining how automated capture can be used to produce multimedia records of design discussions. Keywords: