Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!seas.gwu.edu!braudes
From: braudes@seas.gwu.edu (Bob Braudes)
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Subject: Re: adaptive user interfaces
Message-ID: <3320@sparko.gwu.edu>
Date: 18 Jun 91 12:14:19 GMT
References: <1991Jun16.205355.12316@psych.toronto.edu> <1003@elan.Elan.COM>
Reply-To: braudes@seas.gwu.edu ()
Organization: The George Washington University, Washington D.C.
Lines: 13

Another major issues with adaptive user interfaces, when using the AI
domain, is determining when and how to change the UI.  Assume that the
interface controller had decided, through whatever means, that the user
is now "ready" for a new interface.  How is the change made?  You
probably don't want to surprise the user by doing it automatically;
imagine using your favorit program and suddenly all of your commands
no longer work (obviously this is at the extreme end of change, but is
used to show the point.)  Do you prompt the user in the middle of a session,
or wait until the next time the program is invoked?  How is this implemented on
multi-user systems; it appears to require some sort of logon.

I strongly believe in adaptive interfaces; however, there are a lot of 
basic issues which need to be addressed before they can become practical.