ABSTRACT Ambient Intelligence is an emerging field of research that has to potential to enrich ed... more ABSTRACT Ambient Intelligence is an emerging field of research that has to potential to enrich educational environments. This paper discusses a line of research targeted to investigate and introduce innovative solutions for efficient learning in smart environments through integrating AmI technology in the learning process. The overall concept of the Student-Centric “Ambient” Classroom and the related hardware and software components are described
ABSTRACT The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. In t... more ABSTRACT The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. In this paper we propose a visualization approach which is based on star-like graphs of variable radius which enables users to gradually explore and navigate through the entire ontology without overloading them. The star-like graphs are visualized using a Force Directed Placement algorithm (FDP) specially suited for RDF schemas whose configuration parameters can be adjusted interactively by the end-user via an intuitive on-screen tool bar. In addition, and since each star-like graph exhibits different graph features, we propose a novel automatic configuration method for the FDP algorithm parameters that is based on a number of quality metrics (area density and verticality of subclass hierarchies) and corresponding corrective actions. The experimental evaluation showed the quality of the yielded layout is significantly improved and the proposed approach is acceptably fast for real-time exploration. The user study showed that users prefer these views and perform various very common tasks faster.
The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. We will demon... more The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. We will demonstrate StarLion, a system providing exploratory visualizations which enhance the user understanding. StarLion combines many of the existing visualization methods with some novel features for providing better 2D layouts. Specifically, one distinctive feature of StarLion is the provision of Star-like graphs of variable radius whose layout is derived by a Force Directed Placement algorithm (FDPA) specially adapted for RDF Schemas. This approach enables users to gradually explore and navigate through the entire ontology without overloading them. StarLion can also handle multiple namespaces, a very useful feature for assisting the understanding of interdependent ontologies. Another distinctive characteristic of StarLion is the provision of a novel method for configuring automatically the FDPA parameters based on layout quality metrics, and the provision of an interactive configuration method offered via an intuitive tool-bar.
User interface designers and engineers are faced today with unprecedented challenges. Application... more User interface designers and engineers are faced today with unprecedented challenges. Applications are progressively required to run on multiple computing platforms and accommodate the capabilities of different devices. Users and context are significantly characterized by diversity, leading to a very broad range of accessibility and interaction requirements and preferences that need to be adequately addressed. The current approach of designing separate user interfaces, one for each target use, is time consuming, error prone, and does not adequately addresses the challenges of cross-platform consistency, universal access and integration. To this end, this paper proposes a new integrative approach to multi-device user interface development for achieving device-independence by-design and further pursuing improved levels user experience for all through adaptive presentational models for various devices and contexts of use. Explanatory examples that were implemented in the context of the REMOTE R&D project are also presented.
Information and Communication technologies have the potential to permeate the classroom and moder... more Information and Communication technologies have the potential to permeate the classroom and modernize the educational process. However, in the context of a smart classroom, building educational applications poses unique challenges from an HCI perspective, due to the diversity of user and context requirements. This paper introduces a framework that facilitates the design, development and deployment of pervasive educational applications that
Despite the outbreak in the development of new User Interface toolkits, the need for a combined t... more Despite the outbreak in the development of new User Interface toolkits, the need for a combined toolkit that inherently supports adaptation to user needs and addresses accessibility issues still remains. MAID introduces a new approach to developing user interfaces that encapsulate new technology trends and also address individual users’ needs. Additionally, MAID is accompanied by a library of adaptable widgets – primitives and complex – that allow designers to develop the actual user interfaces used by the MAID framework, eliminating thus the need for developers to be experts in user interface design and accessibility, in order to implement dynamic applications.
This paper discusses an education-centric approach towards ambient intelligence in the classroom,... more This paper discusses an education-centric approach towards ambient intelligence in the classroom, raising fundamental requirements that should be taken into consideration, in order to efficiently provide genuine students’ education enhancement. These requirements are addressed by an integrated architecture for pervasive computing environments, named ClassMATE, which facilitates all necessary mechanisms for context – aware ubiquitous computing in the classroom. Furthermore, a smart classroom prototype, incorporating the ClassMATE’s infrastructure, is presented constituting the first test – bed for the study of the educational process in intelligent classrooms.
This paper discusses a framework that supports collaborative learning activities in smart environ... more This paper discusses a framework that supports collaborative learning activities in smart environments. When designing or developing collaborative environments numerous fundamental requirements should be taken into consideration to maximize their potentials. These best-practices outline strategies regarding (i) group formation, (ii) role assignment, (iii) personalized support, and (iv) activity monitoring. A multi-tier architecture scheme is employed, on top of the “ClassMATE” system, where every module addressees some of these aspects and their combination results in a complete framework that enables both online and offline collaboration in the smart classroom.
International Journal of Human-computer Interaction, 2012
User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized ac... more User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized accessibility and usability of user interfaces. Related user interface architectures, as well as a variety of related development method and tools, have also been elaborated. Admittedly, however, despite the recognized validity of the approach, which has been proved in practice in a series of prototype systems, the wider adoption and uptake of user interface adaptation approaches are still limited. One of the identified obstacles is the complexity intrinsic in designing such interfaces and the need of radically revising the current user interface design practice to account for (a) the alternative designs required for adaptation, (b) the parameters involved in driving adaptations (i.e., selecting among alternatives at a given point during interaction), and (c) the logic of adaptation at runtime. This article proposes a twofold tool-based support strategy for user interface adaptation development, based on (a) an adaptation development toolkit and related widget library, which directly embeds lexical level adaptations into common interactive widgets, and (b) embedding such a library in a common integrated development environment, thus allowing designers to define and view alternative adaptations at design time and create adaptable user interfaces through traditional prototyping. The aforementioned approach has been implemented in the domain of adaptable applications for older users, producing tools that are currently in use in the development of a large suite of interactive applications in various domains. The approach presented in this article is claimed to be the first and so far unique supporting rapid prototyping of adaptable user interfaces, thus minimizing the divergence between typical development practices and user interface adaptation development.
The Web is constantly evolving into an unprecedented and continuously growing source of knowledge... more The Web is constantly evolving into an unprecedented and continuously growing source of knowledge, information and services, potentially accessed at by anyone anytime, and anywhere. Yet, the current uptake rates of the Web have not really reached their full potential, mainly due to the design of modern Web-based interfaces, which fail to satisfy the individual interaction needs of target users with different characteristics. A common practice in contemporary Web development is to deliver a single user interface design that meets the requirements of an “average” user. However, this “average” user is in fact an imaginary user. Often, the profiles of a large portion of the population, and especially people with disability, elderly people, novice users and users on the move, differ radically. Although much work has been done in the direction of providing the means for the development of inclusive Web-based interfaces that are capable to adapt to multiple and significantly different user profiles, the current evolution towards the semantic web poses several new requirements and challenges for supporting user and context awareness. Building upon existing research in the field of semantics-based user modeling, this paper aims to offer potential new directions for supporting User Interface Adaptation on the Semantic Web. In this context, the benefits gained from supporting semantically enabled ontology based profiling are highlighted, focusing on the potential impact of such an approach to existing UI adaptation frameworks.
International Journal of Human-computer Interaction, 2011
User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized ac... more User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized accessibility and usability of user interfaces. Related user interface architectures, as well as a variety of related development method and tools, have also been elaborated. Admittedly, however, despite the recognized validity of the approach, which has been proved in practice in a series of prototype systems, the wider adoption and uptake of user interface adaptation approaches are still limited. One of the identified obstacles is the complexity intrinsic in designing such interfaces and the need of radically revising the current user interface design practice to account for (a) the alternative designs required for adaptation, (b) the parameters involved in driving adaptations (i.e., selecting among alternatives at a given point during interaction), and (c) the logic of adaptation at runtime. This article proposes a twofold tool-based support strategy for user interface adaptation development, based on (a) an adaptation development toolkit and related widget library, which directly embeds lexical level adaptations into common interactive widgets, and (b) embedding such a library in a common integrated development environment, thus allowing designers to define and view alternative adaptations at design time and create adaptable user interfaces through traditional prototyping. The aforementioned approach has been implemented in the domain of adaptable applications for older users, producing tools that are currently in use in the development of a large suite of interactive applications in various domains. The approach presented in this article is claimed to be the first and so far unique supporting rapid prototyping of adaptable user interfaces, thus minimizing the divergence between typical development practices and user interface adaptation development.
This paper describes the framework and development process of adaptive user interfaces within the... more This paper describes the framework and development process of adaptive user interfaces within the OASIS project. After presenting a rationale for user interface adaptation to address the needs and requirements of older users, the paper presents and discusses the architecture and functionality of the OASIS adaptation framework, focussing in particular on an advanced library of adaptive widgets, as well as on the process of elaborating the adaptation rules. The results of the adopted approach are discussed and hints to future developments are provided.
ABSTRACT Ambient Intelligence is an emerging field of research that has to potential to enrich ed... more ABSTRACT Ambient Intelligence is an emerging field of research that has to potential to enrich educational environments. This paper discusses a line of research targeted to investigate and introduce innovative solutions for efficient learning in smart environments through integrating AmI technology in the learning process. The overall concept of the Student-Centric “Ambient” Classroom and the related hardware and software components are described
ABSTRACT The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. In t... more ABSTRACT The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. In this paper we propose a visualization approach which is based on star-like graphs of variable radius which enables users to gradually explore and navigate through the entire ontology without overloading them. The star-like graphs are visualized using a Force Directed Placement algorithm (FDP) specially suited for RDF schemas whose configuration parameters can be adjusted interactively by the end-user via an intuitive on-screen tool bar. In addition, and since each star-like graph exhibits different graph features, we propose a novel automatic configuration method for the FDP algorithm parameters that is based on a number of quality metrics (area density and verticality of subclass hierarchies) and corresponding corrective actions. The experimental evaluation showed the quality of the yielded layout is significantly improved and the proposed approach is acceptably fast for real-time exploration. The user study showed that users prefer these views and perform various very common tasks faster.
The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. We will demon... more The visualization of ontologies is a challenging task especially if they are large. We will demonstrate StarLion, a system providing exploratory visualizations which enhance the user understanding. StarLion combines many of the existing visualization methods with some novel features for providing better 2D layouts. Specifically, one distinctive feature of StarLion is the provision of Star-like graphs of variable radius whose layout is derived by a Force Directed Placement algorithm (FDPA) specially adapted for RDF Schemas. This approach enables users to gradually explore and navigate through the entire ontology without overloading them. StarLion can also handle multiple namespaces, a very useful feature for assisting the understanding of interdependent ontologies. Another distinctive characteristic of StarLion is the provision of a novel method for configuring automatically the FDPA parameters based on layout quality metrics, and the provision of an interactive configuration method offered via an intuitive tool-bar.
User interface designers and engineers are faced today with unprecedented challenges. Application... more User interface designers and engineers are faced today with unprecedented challenges. Applications are progressively required to run on multiple computing platforms and accommodate the capabilities of different devices. Users and context are significantly characterized by diversity, leading to a very broad range of accessibility and interaction requirements and preferences that need to be adequately addressed. The current approach of designing separate user interfaces, one for each target use, is time consuming, error prone, and does not adequately addresses the challenges of cross-platform consistency, universal access and integration. To this end, this paper proposes a new integrative approach to multi-device user interface development for achieving device-independence by-design and further pursuing improved levels user experience for all through adaptive presentational models for various devices and contexts of use. Explanatory examples that were implemented in the context of the REMOTE R&D project are also presented.
Information and Communication technologies have the potential to permeate the classroom and moder... more Information and Communication technologies have the potential to permeate the classroom and modernize the educational process. However, in the context of a smart classroom, building educational applications poses unique challenges from an HCI perspective, due to the diversity of user and context requirements. This paper introduces a framework that facilitates the design, development and deployment of pervasive educational applications that
Despite the outbreak in the development of new User Interface toolkits, the need for a combined t... more Despite the outbreak in the development of new User Interface toolkits, the need for a combined toolkit that inherently supports adaptation to user needs and addresses accessibility issues still remains. MAID introduces a new approach to developing user interfaces that encapsulate new technology trends and also address individual users’ needs. Additionally, MAID is accompanied by a library of adaptable widgets – primitives and complex – that allow designers to develop the actual user interfaces used by the MAID framework, eliminating thus the need for developers to be experts in user interface design and accessibility, in order to implement dynamic applications.
This paper discusses an education-centric approach towards ambient intelligence in the classroom,... more This paper discusses an education-centric approach towards ambient intelligence in the classroom, raising fundamental requirements that should be taken into consideration, in order to efficiently provide genuine students’ education enhancement. These requirements are addressed by an integrated architecture for pervasive computing environments, named ClassMATE, which facilitates all necessary mechanisms for context – aware ubiquitous computing in the classroom. Furthermore, a smart classroom prototype, incorporating the ClassMATE’s infrastructure, is presented constituting the first test – bed for the study of the educational process in intelligent classrooms.
This paper discusses a framework that supports collaborative learning activities in smart environ... more This paper discusses a framework that supports collaborative learning activities in smart environments. When designing or developing collaborative environments numerous fundamental requirements should be taken into consideration to maximize their potentials. These best-practices outline strategies regarding (i) group formation, (ii) role assignment, (iii) personalized support, and (iv) activity monitoring. A multi-tier architecture scheme is employed, on top of the “ClassMATE” system, where every module addressees some of these aspects and their combination results in a complete framework that enables both online and offline collaboration in the smart classroom.
International Journal of Human-computer Interaction, 2012
User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized ac... more User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized accessibility and usability of user interfaces. Related user interface architectures, as well as a variety of related development method and tools, have also been elaborated. Admittedly, however, despite the recognized validity of the approach, which has been proved in practice in a series of prototype systems, the wider adoption and uptake of user interface adaptation approaches are still limited. One of the identified obstacles is the complexity intrinsic in designing such interfaces and the need of radically revising the current user interface design practice to account for (a) the alternative designs required for adaptation, (b) the parameters involved in driving adaptations (i.e., selecting among alternatives at a given point during interaction), and (c) the logic of adaptation at runtime. This article proposes a twofold tool-based support strategy for user interface adaptation development, based on (a) an adaptation development toolkit and related widget library, which directly embeds lexical level adaptations into common interactive widgets, and (b) embedding such a library in a common integrated development environment, thus allowing designers to define and view alternative adaptations at design time and create adaptable user interfaces through traditional prototyping. The aforementioned approach has been implemented in the domain of adaptable applications for older users, producing tools that are currently in use in the development of a large suite of interactive applications in various domains. The approach presented in this article is claimed to be the first and so far unique supporting rapid prototyping of adaptable user interfaces, thus minimizing the divergence between typical development practices and user interface adaptation development.
The Web is constantly evolving into an unprecedented and continuously growing source of knowledge... more The Web is constantly evolving into an unprecedented and continuously growing source of knowledge, information and services, potentially accessed at by anyone anytime, and anywhere. Yet, the current uptake rates of the Web have not really reached their full potential, mainly due to the design of modern Web-based interfaces, which fail to satisfy the individual interaction needs of target users with different characteristics. A common practice in contemporary Web development is to deliver a single user interface design that meets the requirements of an “average” user. However, this “average” user is in fact an imaginary user. Often, the profiles of a large portion of the population, and especially people with disability, elderly people, novice users and users on the move, differ radically. Although much work has been done in the direction of providing the means for the development of inclusive Web-based interfaces that are capable to adapt to multiple and significantly different user profiles, the current evolution towards the semantic web poses several new requirements and challenges for supporting user and context awareness. Building upon existing research in the field of semantics-based user modeling, this paper aims to offer potential new directions for supporting User Interface Adaptation on the Semantic Web. In this context, the benefits gained from supporting semantically enabled ontology based profiling are highlighted, focusing on the potential impact of such an approach to existing UI adaptation frameworks.
International Journal of Human-computer Interaction, 2011
User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized ac... more User interface adaptation has been proposed in recent years as a means to achieve personalized accessibility and usability of user interfaces. Related user interface architectures, as well as a variety of related development method and tools, have also been elaborated. Admittedly, however, despite the recognized validity of the approach, which has been proved in practice in a series of prototype systems, the wider adoption and uptake of user interface adaptation approaches are still limited. One of the identified obstacles is the complexity intrinsic in designing such interfaces and the need of radically revising the current user interface design practice to account for (a) the alternative designs required for adaptation, (b) the parameters involved in driving adaptations (i.e., selecting among alternatives at a given point during interaction), and (c) the logic of adaptation at runtime. This article proposes a twofold tool-based support strategy for user interface adaptation development, based on (a) an adaptation development toolkit and related widget library, which directly embeds lexical level adaptations into common interactive widgets, and (b) embedding such a library in a common integrated development environment, thus allowing designers to define and view alternative adaptations at design time and create adaptable user interfaces through traditional prototyping. The aforementioned approach has been implemented in the domain of adaptable applications for older users, producing tools that are currently in use in the development of a large suite of interactive applications in various domains. The approach presented in this article is claimed to be the first and so far unique supporting rapid prototyping of adaptable user interfaces, thus minimizing the divergence between typical development practices and user interface adaptation development.
This paper describes the framework and development process of adaptive user interfaces within the... more This paper describes the framework and development process of adaptive user interfaces within the OASIS project. After presenting a rationale for user interface adaptation to address the needs and requirements of older users, the paper presents and discusses the architecture and functionality of the OASIS adaptation framework, focussing in particular on an advanced library of adaptive widgets, as well as on the process of elaborating the adaptation rules. The results of the adopted approach are discussed and hints to future developments are provided.
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Papers by Asterios Leonidis