University of Washington researchers have come up with a way to customize computer interfaces for individuals based on a 20-to-90-minute vision and motor skills (mouse handling, etc.) test.
A paper (Decision-Theoretic User Interface Generation) describing the system — dubbed Supple — was presented this week at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence’s conference in Chicago.
“Assistive technologies are built on the assumption that it’s the people who have to adapt to the technology. We tried to reverse this assumption, and make the software adapt to people,” said lead author Krzysztof Gajos, a UW doctoral student in computer science and engineering, in a statement. Co-authors are Dan Weld, a UW professor of computer science and engineering, and Jacob Wobbrock, an assistant professor in the UW’s Information School.
The research has particular benefits for people with disabilties, testing found, and the researchers expect Supple could have its first impact on Web applications and screen sizes for mobile device.
During the test, the system determines how long it takes a user to do certain computing tasks, then optimizes the computer interface to match the skill level.
“There is a temptation to think that we can come up with a universal design. But if we look at the results, the design that helps one person will actually be hurtful to a person with a different set of abilities,” Gajos said.
See a video of how Supple works here.
| University of Washington |
| Three versions of the same interface, optimized to suit different users’ needs. The middle panel is the default. The panel on the left was optimized for a person with cerebral palsy who makes large, spastic movements. The panel on the right is optimized for someone with muscular dystrophy who has difficulty moving the mouse quickly or over long distances. |
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