Agent-based user interface customization in a system-mediated collaboration environment (original) (raw)

COLLAGEN: A Collaboration Manager for Software Interface Agents

Computational Models of Mixed-Initiative Interaction, 1998

We have implemented an application-independent collaboration manager, called Collagen, based on the SharedPlan theory of discourse, and used it to build a software interface agent for a simple air travel application. The software agent provides intelligent, mixed initiative assistance without requiring natural language understanding. A key benefit of the collaboration manager is the automatic construction of an interaction history which is hierarchically structured according to the userś and agentś goals and intentions.

Enhancing Collaborative Work through Agents

2002

This paper presents a software framework, called Collaborator, to provide a shared workspace supporting the activities of virtual teams. This system exploits seamless integration of standard Web technologies with agent technologies, enhancing the classic Web communication mechanisms to support synchronous sharing of applications, and its use through emerging technologies such as: third generation of mobile networks and terminals, and new generation of home appliances. The system is enhanced by two types of agents: personal agents and session management agents. Personal agents, one for each user, are in charge of adapting the work environment to the user's preferences and habits. Session management agents, one for each collaborative session, are responsible for the management of the communication with the personal agents of the users involved in a virtual meeting.

User Interface for Multi-Agent Systems: A case study

Intelligent Systems for Manufacturing, 1998

The user interface is a crucial part of most computer applications. Specially in complex applications, the user interface very often determines the acceptance or the rejection of a program by the user. The design of graphical user interfaces for multi-agent systems is specially difficult due to the particular characteristics of these systems. This difficulty is even greater when we consider the existence of more than one user. In this paper we present a proposal for a general purpose multi-agent multi-user interface. This interface supports a user taxonomy and the ability to continuously learn about the aptitude of each user in order to choose the most correct interlocutor to interact with at each moment. Cooperative decisions and conflict resolution between users are also made possible trough the automatic negotiation of the different solutions envisaged for each problem. For this purpose, a negotiation algorithm for multi-user conflict resolution inspired by the Contract Net Protocol is presented and a specific systems user scoring procedure is proposed.

A High-Level and Flexible Framework for Implementing Multi-User User-Interfaces

ACM Transactions on Information Systems

We have developed a high-level and flexible framework for supporting the construction of multi-user user-interfaces. The framework is based on a generalized editing interaction model, which allows users to view programs as active data that can be concurrently edited by multiple users. It consists of several novel components including a refinement of both the Seeheim UIMS architecture and the distributed graphics architecture that explicitly addresses multi-user interaction; the abstractions of shared active variables and interaction variables, which allow users and applications to exchange information; a set of default collaboration rules designed to keep the collaboration-awareness low in multiuser programs; and a small but powerful set of primitives for overriding these rules. The framework allows users to be dynamically added and removed from a multi-user session, different users to use different user interfaces to interact with an application, the modules interacting with a particular user to execute on the local workstation, and programmers to incrementally trade automation for flexibility. We have implemented the framework as part of a system called Suite. This paper motivates, describes, and illustrates the framework using the concrete example of Suite, discusses how it can be implemented in other kinds of systems, compares it with related work, discusses its shortcomings, and suggests directions for future work. different members of a project team to display and modify the status of a project; a program demonstrator allowing one or more users to demonstrate a program to a group of users; a browser allowing a teacher to browse through a text-book with a group of students; and a design tool allowing several designers to compose a design document.

A methodological approach for user interface development of collaborative applications: A case study

Science of Computer Programming, 2009

In the last few years, the production of systems which support learning and group work has been high. However, the design and development of these types of systems are difficult, mainly due to the multidisciplinarity involved. Furthermore, the Graphic User Interface (GUI) of an application is receiving greater attention, since it can be decisive in determining if the application is accepted or rejected by users. Model-based design is a widespread technique in the user interface development process. While reviewing approaches that deal with the modeling and design of user interfaces supporting collaborative tasks, we have detected that there is no proposal that links interactive and collaborative issues. We have introduced a methodological approach to solve this shortcoming. This approach is called CIAM (Collaborative Interactive Application Methodology) and it is composed of several stages in which conceptual models are created using CIAN (Collaborative Interactive Application Notation). These models start by modeling the organization in which the application will be used, as well as the tasks that must be supported. In the initial stages, the organization and the collaborative tasks are modeled using high-level specifications. In the following stages, the level of detail increases and, finally, the interaction between the individual users and the application is modeled using ConcurTaskTrees (CTT) notation. The interaction model acts as a bridge between the design and the implementation of the Graphic User Interface. In this paper we present our methodological approach and an example of applying this method for user interface design of collaborative and interactive applications.

MAGUI -A Multi-Agent Graphical User Interface

Man-machine interfaces are a very important part of any computer application. A good human interface must be friendly and effective providing a good interaction between the human operator and the application. Human interfaces for multi-agent systems (MAS) are specially complex because the multiple requirements of this kind of architectures where the human operator is interacting with a multitude of different autonomous agents often characterized by a great dynamics. The presence of more than one user in the system, with similar or with different competencies is another interesting problem that is quite realistic in many applications of MAS. In this paper, the particular requirements of user interfaces for multi-agent systems are discussed and a multi-agent graphical user interface in the framework of a multi-user multi-agent system is presented.

User-Interface Support to Group Interaction

1996

Abstract This paper describes a user-interface system developed to support group interaction for same-time/different-place cooperative applications. The user-interface system is based on a model which defines four types of objects, each one dedicated to address a specific issue of group interaction support: information sharing, interaction control, structuring of group interactions and awareness of user activities in the system.

Flexible User Interfaces for Group Collaboration

International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 2003

Flexible user interfaces that can be customized to meet the needs of the task at hand are particularly important for telecollaboration. This article presents the design and implementation of a user interface for DISCIPLE, a platform-independent telecollaboration framework. DISCIPLE supports sharing of Java components that are imported into the shared workspace at run-time and can be interconnected into more complex components. As a result, run-time interconnection of various components allows user tailoring of the human-computer interface. Software architecture for customization of both a group-level and application-level interfaces is presented, with interface components that are loadable on demand. The architecture integrates the sensory modalities of speech, sight, and touch. Instead of imposing one "right" solution onto users, the framework lets users tailor the user interface that best suits their needs. Finally, laboratory experience with DISCIPLE tested on a variety of applications with the framework is discussed along with future research directions. telecollaboration that can be dynamically adapted to the user's needs. Our approach offers architecture for end-user customization through on-demand loadable software components and XML documents. The architecture is an integral part of DISCIPLE (Distributed System for Collaborative Information Processing and Learning; . DISCIPLE provides a different look and feel not only across different groups but also across individuals within a group.

Designing User Interfaces for Collaborative Applications: A Model-BasedApproach

2009

For collaborative applications to be usable, their user interfaces should facilitate the process of sharing information within a group while carrying out common tasks. Currently, the design based on models is one of the most used techniques that seeks to assure high usability. In user interface design, models can describe and help to analyze abstract interface elements and relationships among them, as well as to guide the implementation using physical components. An approach for designing user interfaces using models at different abstraction levels is presented in this chapter. We also introduce a platform that provides a set of replicated components as a toolkit that facilitates the creation process of groupware user interfaces. In order to apply the proposal, we consider a case study based on a help system for risk operations in financial institutions. Specifically, the proposal aims at guiding the whole development process of user interfaces for collaborative applications.