Download - Context In UX
Use of Context Information for User Experience
Design
Mikhail Matveev,National Technology Officer,
Microsoft Russia
Daniel Kornev,Program Manager,
Microsoft Russia
Alexander Popov,MSTLab,Moscow State University
Agenda1. Existing examples of context
information2. Context definition3. Sensors and their applications4. Applying context information5. Sensor and Location Platform6. Market opportunities7. Summary
Apple iPhone• Natural User Interface:
• Gestures• Zoom in/out• Physical inertia applied to
digital objects
• Context-Aware Interfaces:
• UI Orientation (changes when physical orientation changes)
• Light-aware UI • Screen uses presence
sensor to automatically turn off while on call
• Automatic switching between tasks with applying priorities (media player pauses while on call and after call resumes playing)
Contextual tabs in Office 2007• Natural User
Experience:
• Ribbons for editing special objects like images, charts, tables etc appear only when these objects are selected by user
GPS and location-based applications• Context-Aware User
Experiences:
• Detection of user’s location
• Contextual information – POIs near user
• Directions• Traffic and auto-correction
of trip• Show user’s friends
location on map in real mode
Sound profiles in HTC Touch Pro• Sound Profiles:
• Alarm can wake you even if you turned off system sound off
• Sound profiles – normal/vibration/without sound
• Special profile “Automatic” – switches app behavior to “Vibration” while on meetings (data is populated from Calendar)
Existing examples• Ambient Light Sensors in cars,• GPS and location-aware applications,• IM Presence (Skype/Messenger/ICQ)• Changing screen layout depending on
device’s physical orientation (iPhone)• Contextual Tabs in Microsoft Office 2007• Sound Profiles in HTC Touch Pro• …
Context is…• Situation, in which the product is
used and situation changes
• Let’s take a look on definitions of Context given by different companies and organizations, Intel and ISO
What is Context? (Intel)
© Intel 2008, “Context Aware User Interface”, Intel Developer Forum
• Context-aware system can be aware of:
• Environmental Contexts– Physical environment– Devices– Services
• User context– Identity– Physical state– Physiological state– Activities– Contacts– Preferences
• Platform Context– Location– Motion– Network– Batter Status– Platform Features– Running Apps– Memory usage
What is Context? (ISO)User• Goals• Tasks
SocialPhysical
Infrastructure• Hardware• Software• Materials
Context combines users, their goals and tasks, infrastructure (hardware, software, materials), physical and social environment in which the product is used.*
*as defined by ISO 9421-11
What are context-aware systems?
• Context-aware systems are those changing their behavior when the situation changes
Sensors• Sensor is a device that measures a
physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer
• Sensors make possible for computer devices to detect elements of contexts that are hard to impossible to discover by using traditional methods.
Sensors and context-aware solutions are on the market
alreadyResearch
organizations Industry Sensors Vendors
+Universities
Research Institutes
+PartnersSoftware
Developers
Ideas to think about1. The computer volume automatically adjusts based on the noise level of
the environment. For example, when I’m in a noisy location, my media player sets the volume level up.
2. The display adjusts brightness and contrast based on current lighting conditions.
3. Text, links, and buttons get bigger on my touch-enabled mobile computer when I’m on-the-go, so they are easier to use. For example, when I’m holding my device in hands, the text and images on the screen automatically get larger.
4. The computer knows when it has moved from work to home and changes the desktop background. It can also hide work-related environment and show game and entertainment applications shortcuts.
5. When the display is rotated, layout changes from landscape to portrait and vice versa.
6. The computer can monitor the health status of me or a person I care about. For example, it can monitor their vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels.
Limitations of sensors today• Location devices are exposed
as virtual COM ports– Exclusive application access– Not secure– Proprietary data formats (NMEA, others)
• GPS doesn’t work indoors– Hard to support multiple technologies at once
• Sensors are integrated as vertical solutions– Applications need to know sensor
hardware specifics– Limited adoption and scope
Sensor and Location Platform
• New platform for Windows 7• Provides unified driver model for
all types of sensor devices– Physical sensors (e.g., GPS devices, Light Sensors)– Logical sensor (e.g., Wi-Fi triangulation resolver)
• Provides standard APIs for accessing sensors– Sensor API: C++/COM
• Raw access to any sensor– Location API: C++/COM, IDispatch (scriptable)
• Abstracted API for location data• Puts user in control of information disclosure
Sensor and Location Platform
UMDF Sensor Driver
Sensor Class Extension
Sensor API
Gadget or Script Application
Location and Other
Sensors Control Panel
SensorDevice
Location APILocation IDispatch Interface
Application
UMDF Sensor Driver
Sensor Class Extension
Logical Location Sensor(Triangulation)
UserSystem
Location Platform benefits• Single API call to answer “Where am I?”– Independent of provider used to
determine location– Synchronous and Asynchronous models– Script/automation compatible
• Automatic transition between providers– Most accurate providers have priority
• Concurrent access for multiple applications• Default Location– Provided by user as fallback when
no other sources are available
Types of location data• Geographic Data (ILatLongReport)– Latitude, longitude, altitude,
associated error required– Most common format– Best format for precise location– Can reverse geo-code later
• Civic Address (ICivicAddressReport)– Zip, Country required– Most human readable– Best for ‘rough’ location estimates,
street directions
Demo
Privacy and Access Control• Location data is considered PII
– User consent is required to share data• All sensors are disabled by default• Admin rights required
to enable a sensor• Sensors can be
configured on a per-user basis
• “Enable Dialog” invoked by applications
Resources and materialsSites and resources:
• Sensor and Location Platform web site:• http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/sensors/
• Dan Polivy (Lead PM, Sensor & Location Platform) presenting at Microsoft PDC 2008:
• http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/PC25/• http://www.aeroxp.org/2008/11/windows-
7-sensors-framework-interview-from-pdc/
• MSDN Forum for developers:• MSDN Forum
• Reverse Code (LatLong ↔ CivicAddress)with Virtual Earth:
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966828.aspx
Blogs:
• Gavin Gear (Sensors PM):• http://blogs.msdn.com/gavingear/
• Jim Travis (SDK Lead):• http://blogs.msdn.com/jimtravis/
• Daniel Kornev:• http://blogs.msdn.com/semantics/
• Jensen Harris (Office):• http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/ar
chive/tags/Contextual+UI/default.aspx
Maslow's hierarchy of needsSelf-actualization
Esteem
Social
Safety
Physiological
Microsoft’s positionApplications
Sensor Platform
Operating System
Computer hardware
Sensors
Business Model: from Innovation to Platform
Innovative idea generation and
prototype development
Standardization and
integration into product
Use of the scale effect
Transformation
into platform
ROI measuremen
t
Customers satisfaction
Investors satisfaction
Ecosystem satisfaction
Trends
• Sensor and actuator markets are experiencing a rapid growth• Industry shifts towards active use of sensors and context information in
user interface and consumer product development
Summary
User
SocialPhysical
Infra-structu
re
ContextSensors
Context-aware systemsPlatform
Call to action• Utilize the Windows Sensor and Location
platform to build location-aware applications, gadgets and services
• Implement light-aware UI in your applications to support betterreadability and UX under various environmental conditions
• Build environmentally-aware applications using additional sensors with the sensor and location platform
© 2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation.MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
The End