Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!bu.edu!m2c!wpi.WPI.EDU!dmorin From: dmorin@wpi.WPI.EDU (Duane D Morin) Newsgroups: comp.human-factors Subject: Re: adaptive user interfaces Message-ID: <1991Jun17.031313.4120@wpi.WPI.EDU> Date: 17 Jun 91 03:13:13 GMT References: <1991Jun12.182221.10179@cs.sfu.ca> <1991Jun16.205355.12316@psych.toronto.edu> Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Lines: 32 >>In article <1991Jun12.182221.10179@cs.sfu.ca> kathy@cs.sfu.ca (Kathy Peters) writes: >> I am interested in the concept of adaptive user interfaces - somehow >> tailoring the user interface for individual skills and preferences. >> (Rather than just having categories like 'naive', 'expert', etc.). This issue has far reaching ramifications when put to use in an educational environment. Many students have had little or no access to PC's while they are in school (provided we hit a grade level early enough) and a system that can be trained to suit their needs is often very well received. For example, a system that I recently designed kept a profile of each user: message level, file working on, customized vocabulary, alias file.... so that each user appaered to be customizing their interface in their own way. The system even went as far as getting the person's first name out of the password file on the network, and then asking them if they would like to be called a certain nickname (upon which the name to use was stored in the profile as well and, during particular error messages or the next startup greeting, was used). AI is a wonderful thing, but at least in my area of work in needs to work flawlessly if it is to be used at all. For example, we designed a spell checking system to go with the internal vocabulary. Now, this system was good enough (and the vocab was small enough) that it almost always guessed the correct word. We wanted to use some simple AI to ASSUME that the user wanted to use whichever word, and then go through and finish up the sentence. But, like I said, it ALMOST always worked. We couldn't assume anything. So that idea never flew. Duane Morin Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA 01609-2208 dmorin@wpi.wpi.edu No sig - I write these things by hand whenever I post!