Giuseppe Ghiani

UbiCicero: A location-aware, multi-device museum guide

In this paper, we propose UbiCicero, a multi-device, location-aware museum guide able to opportunistically exploit large screens when users are nearby. Various types of games are included in addition to the museum and artwork descriptions. The mobile guide is equipped with an RFID reader, which detects nearby tagged artworks. By taking into account context-dependent information, including the current user position and behaviour history, as well as the type of device available, more personalised and relevant information is provided to the user, enabling a richer overall experience. We also present example applications of this solution and then discuss the results of first empirical tests performed to evaluate the usefulness and usability of the enhanced multi-device guide.

Vibrotactile feedback to aid blind users of mobile guides

In this work, we report on a solution for providing support to the blind using mobile museum guides by exploiting the haptic channel as a complement to the audio/vocal one. The overall goal is to improve the autonomy and social integration of blind visitors. We followed an iterative approach in which the proposed system went through various user evaluations and further refinements. The final solution includes vibrotactile feedback enhancement for orientation and obstacle avoidance obtained through the use of unobtrusive actuators applied to two of the users fingers combined with an electronic compass and obstacle detector sensors connected wirelessly to the mobile guide. Our study indicates that vibrotactile feedback is particularly useful to provide frequent unobtrusive indications of useful dynamic information, such as the level of proximity of an obstacle or the distance from the right orientation.

Vibrotactile feedback as an orientation aid for blind users of mobile guides

In this paper, we present a solution for supporting vibrotactile feedback in mobile museum guides for blind users. To this end, we have designed and implemented a hardware/software module, which can be easily plugged into current PDAs to assist blind users in orientation. The solution, which comprises a two-channels haptic module as well as vocal support, has been exploited for moving through tagged objects. We also report on a user evaluation carried out with a number of blind users.

Cicero Designer: An Environment for End-User Development of Multi-Device Museum Guides

This paper describes the design and implementation of a tool to allow people without programming experience to customize the functionality and user interface of a multi-device museum guide. It consists of a direct-manipulation visual environment that supports editing of the main features of a museum guide and the creation of the associated interactive games. The tool then generates application versions for access through both mobile and large screen stationary devices. We also report on a first empirical evaluation carried out with museum curators.

Push and pull of web user interfaces in multi-device environments

In this work we present an environment able to support users in seamless access to Web applications in multi-device contexts. The environment supports dynamic push and pull of interactive Web applications, or parts of them, across desktop and mobile devices while preserving their state. We describe mechanisms for sharing information regarding devices, users, and Web applications with various levels of privacy and report on first experiences with the proposed environment.

Engineering JavaScript state persistence of web applications migrating across multiple devices

Ubiquitous environments call for user interfaces able to migrate across various types of devices while preserving task continuity. One fundamental issue in migratory user interfaces is how to preserve the state while moving from one device to another. In this paper we present a solution for the interactive part of Web applications. In particular, we focus on the most problematic part, which is maintaining the JavaScript state. We also describe an example application to illustrate the support provided by our migration platform.

On-demand cross-device interface components migration

Ubiquitous environments call for innovative uses of existing applications. In this paper we present our solution for partial Web migration: it allows users to interactively select parts of existing interfaces and have them migrate to a target device. The underlying supporting platform exploits logical user interface descriptions and a set of transformations. This environment is particularly useful for supporting mobile users accessing complex Web applications, such as various emerging mash-ups. We also show an example of use of our solution in a widespread Web application, and report on a user test.

Supporting orientation for blind people using museum guides

Novel environments exploiting recent technology can enhance several tasks in applications such as mobile guides. However, in the many museum mobile guides that have been proposed, accessibility is often not explicitly addressed and the benefits of such technology are rarely made available to blind users. In this paper, we propose a solution for flexible orientation support in a multimodal and location-aware museum guide, which has been developed specifically for blind users.

Creating mashups by direct manipulation of existing web applications

We present an environment to enable people without programming knowledge to create mashups composed of Web components selected directly from existing Web applications. The authoring environment allows the creation of communication among components originally belonging to different applications. We report on some example application, the underlying architecture of the environment, and a first user test.

Personalization of Context-Dependent Applications Through Trigger-Action Rules

Our life is characterized by the presence of a multitude of interactive devices and smart objects exploited for disparate goals in different contexts of use. Thus, it is impossible for application developers to predict at design time the devices and objects users will exploit, how they will be arranged, and in which situations and for which objectives they will be used. For such reasons, it is important to make end users able to easily and autonomously personalize the behaviour of their Internet of Things applications, so that they can better comply with their specific expectations. In this paper, we present a method and a set of tools that allow end users without programming experience to customize the context-dependent behaviour of their Web applications through the specification of trigger-action rules. The environment is able to support end-user specification of more flexible behaviour than what can be done with existing commercial tools, and it also includes an underlying infrastructure able to detect the possible contextual changes in order to achieve the desired behaviour. The resulting set of tools is able to support the dynamic creation and execution of personalized application versions more suitable for users’ needs in specific contexts of use. Thus, it represents a contribution to obtaining low threshold/high ceiling environments. We also report on an example application in the home automation domain, and a user study that has provided useful positive feedback.