towards a ubiquitous semantics of interaction

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towards a ubiquitous semantics of interaction

• Alan Dix
• Lancaster University

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formalism in HCI

• adolescence
• or
• rigormortis

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formalism in HCI

• blocks to uptake?
• expertise
• utility
• tools
• cost
• fear
• use only where value exceeds cost
• safety critical, ?generic widgets?

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ubiquity

• lots of simple devices
• but complex context
• lots of users
• mobile
• context dependent behaviour
• good for FM

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ubiquity

• simple devices

• complex context

good for formal methods!
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models

• discrete
• most common
• good for GUI
• familiar notations

• continuous
• very few
• VR, ubicomp
• simpler semantics

what do they mean?
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notationfever!
pattern
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notations

• lots of them
• why?
• cult of notation in computer science
• differing paradigms and problems
• tractability
• familiarity

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myriad notations

• problems
• communication
• education
• tools
• meaning and satisfaction
• ?? moving to ubiquity ??

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routes

• myriadnotations
• interoperability UML-ishness single
  notation one size fits alltranslation shared
  semanitics

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transformation

• model 1 model 2 (notation A) (notation B)
• Galois connection

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common semantics?
complete meta-semantics
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common semantics?
shared sub-semantics
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external phenomena
trace / scenario
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issues

• advantages
• obvious
• physical/real
• common
• relates to real time

• problems
• not obvious
• e.g. CCS/CSP
• internal structure
• binding to real
• granularity/instants
• real time

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meta-model
model
time
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event stream
model
P ? a b P a c P
time
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turntaking states
action
response
s0 a1 r1 s1 a2 r2 s2
one happening or two?
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mapping
model 1
P ? a b P a c P
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
lt
model 2
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status and events
A
S1
S2
A
S1 A S2 A S1 A
S2 .
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hierarchies task analysis
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layers UI events
None Word Single Double Dotted
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continuous

• statusevent analysis
• CS hybrid system literature
• TACIT hybrid Petri Nets continuous
  interactors
• Wuther???? systems theory

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common features

• actions
• at events, discrete changes in state
• interstitial behaviour
• between events, continuous change

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other continuous issues

• granularity issues do it today
• two timing infinitely fast times
• temporal gestalt words, gestures

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summary

• harder than it looks!
• but easier than pairwise matching
• consequences
• less sloppy semantics
• clear semantics ? shared toolsfoundation