Martin Morandell

AALuis, a user interface layer that brings device independence to users of AAL systems

Many ICT services older people could derive a benefit from lack of accessibility, adoptability and usability of the user interface concerning arising special needs specific for the target group. AALuis intends to develop an open User Interface Layer that facilitates a dynamically adapted, personalized interaction between an elderly user and any kind of service, with different types of input and output devices and modalities. To achieve this the AALuis User Interface Layer keeps track of changes of a variety of information models to adapt the transformation process from abstract task descriptions to a user interface and to steer the user interaction in a suitable manner. One of the main goals of AALuis is to create and exploit synergies by developing an architecture that allows the easy integration into different established AAL middleware platforms. AALuis aims to significantly contribute to the freedom of choice for end-users of services and users interfaces.

User interfaces for older adults

Needs and wishes regarding the interaction with ICT solutions change over time and vary between older adults. They depend on the users physical and mental capabilities and preferences. Thus the user interface, which is considered critical to the success or failure of an ICT product or service, should be adaptable. AALuis provides an open middleware layer to guarantee accessible and usable user interfaces for Ambient Assisted Living services. The general idea is to foster a detachment of the user interface from the service and its functionality, respectively. Furthermore an input fusion and output fission regarding I/O modalities based on the users preferences is striven for. At the heart of AALuis lays a dynamically adapted, personalized interaction between an older adult and the service, with various I/O devices. The first results of the project look promising to achieve flexibility in the creation and usage of interfaces. The chosen approach allows further developments expanding the functionalities and improving the generated user interfaces.

Towards an ambient assisted living user interaction taxonomy

Extensive research in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL) provides profound knowledge about the design of AAL systems. However, more generic design characteristics for user interaction have not been formalized for this domain yet. Thus, we propose to develop a domain specific taxonomy for the design of user interaction in AAL systems. We adopted a systematic taxonomy development approach that combines an empirical and a pseudo-conceptual strategy. Six co-researchers from different disciplines conduct the iterative research process. Next to AAL systems existing taxonomies in the field of human-computer interaction are analyzed following the Delphi method. In this paper we present our research process and preliminary results from the first iteration. The final taxonomy allows classification and should support the analysis of user interaction utilized in AAL systems. Furthermore, it can deal as a practical design guideline.

The Simpler the Better: How the User-Inspired Innovation Process (UIIP) Improved the Development of RelaxedCare – the Entirely New Way of Communicating and Caring

“Is my mom doing okay right now?” Answering this question at a glance and in an unobtrusive way could relieve stress for informal caregivers. This was the primary goal of the RelaxedCare project. Involving end-users in the development process of research projects in this domain is perceived as a “must”, but the extent to which this is actually done varies greatly. This paper describes how applying the “User Inspired Innovation Process” which involved more than 200 end-users throughout the development process has influenced the functions, design and context of use of the final prototype.

Results of a workshop series on ambient assisted living

Within a series of four workshops selected topics of the research field Ambient Assisted Living are discussed with the relevant stakeholders. The aim is to bring experts with different points of view together. Thus, new ideas for projects should be generated, experiences exchanged and barriers and possible attempts to overcome them identified. Furthermore the workshop series aims to make the possibilities of Ambient Assisted Living more transparent.

People with cognitive problems and the aging population

As a result of increasing life expectancy and the resulting demographic shift, there are ever growing numbers of elderly persons, living in single households. In consequence of declining cognitive and physical abilities, many affected persons are increasingly dependent on external support to carry out basic and instrumental activities of everyday living. In order to extend the time span elderly people can live independently in their preferred environment, new solutions offered by modem information and communications technology (ICT) need to be introduced. In important respects, ICT support is the primary unsatisfied need of individual elderly persons, their families and caregivers. This need can be met by ICT-based support in health and activity monitoring, by enhancing safety and security in home environments, by improving access to social welfare and medical services, by facilitating social contacts as well as access to context-based infotainment.

Personalization in the User Interaction Design

User diversity plays an essential role in the design of modern Human Computer Interaction HCI systems. Users differ among their perception and utilization of technology. Thus, designers of modern Information and Communication Technologies ICT systems are asked to consider these aspects and to build interaction systems which are able to support and react to changing user wishes and needs. This work focuses on the identification and elaboration of this additional user-related and contextual information and facilitates to structure the design process of new user-adaptive systems. Based on a comprehensive literature review this work presents methods, tools and systems used to pre and post process user- and context-related information as well as different approaches for the adaption decision process. Additionally, based on a set of selected systems the work illustrates the adaption process.

A Practical Solution for the Automatic Generation of User Interfaces --- What Are the Benefits of a Practical Solution for the Automatic Generation of User Interfaces?

Older adults benefit from information and communication technology solutions in the Ambient Assisted Living AAL domain. The offered user interfaces for these ICT solutions often do not take the special needs, preferences and the physical and mental capabilities of older adults into account. The project AALuis focuses on solutions to increase accessibility, adaptability and usability of user interfaces in the AAL domain. The paper describes the functionality of the AALuis layer and the different steps involved stakeholders have to cover to benefit from the user interface generation framework. A detailed comparison between the traditional user interface design and the AALuis approach lists similarities and identifies differences in the user interface generation process.