Toward a visual formalism for modeling location and token-based interaction in context-aware environments
Yngve Dahl · International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction · 2007
This paper introduces a visual formalism for modeling location and token-based user interaction in context-aware environments. As computer technology is embedded into our surrounding environments and interaction is moved into the physicality of the real world, we argue that there is a need for effective methods that allow designers to model systems as they appear from the outside, i.e. the users' perspective. The current formalism can in many ways be considered a compromise between storyboards and UML case diagrams. To assess the applicability of the formalism we conducted a preliminary evaluation with a usability expert group. The evaluation indicated that key features that make the formalism useful from a designer perspective is its relative simplicity, that it allows designers to build explicit models of interaction for various scenarios, and that it encourages discussion and reflection on design solutions.