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Automation in computing systems has always been considered a valuable solution to unburden the user. Internet of Things (IoT) technology best suits automation in different domains, such as home automation, retail, industry, and transportation, to name but a few. While these domains are strongly characterized by implicit user interaction, more recently, automation has been adopted also for the provision of interactive and immersive experiences that actively involve the users. IoT technology thus becomes the key for Smart Interactive Experiences (SIEs), i.e., immersive automated experiences created by orchestrating different devices to enable smart environments to fluidly react to the final users' behavior. There are domains, e.g., cultural heritage, where these systems and the SIEs can support and provide several benefits. However, experts of such domains, while intrigued by the opportunity to induce SIEs, are facing tough challenges in their everyday work activities when they are required to automate and orchestrate IoT devices without the necessary coding skills. This paper presents a design approach that tries to overcome these difficulties thanks to the adoption of ontologies for defining Event-Condition-Action rules. More specifically, the approach enables domain experts to identify and specify properties of IoT devices through a user-defined semantics that, being closer to the domain experts' background, facilitates them in automating the IoT devices behavior. We also present a study comparing three different interaction paradigms conceived to support the specification of user-defined semantics through a "transparent" use of ontologies. Based on the results of this study, we work out some lessons learned on how the proposed paradigms help domain experts express their semantics, which in turn facilitates the creation of interactive applications enabling SIEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a 63-participant user study that compares two widely known systems supporting end users in creating trigger-action rules for the Internet of Things and Ambient Intelligence scenarios. The user study is the first stage of a research agenda that concerns the implementation of a novel conceptual framework for the design and continuous evolution of 'sentient multimedia systems', namely socio-technical systems, where people and many kinds of hardware/software components (sensors, robots, smart devices, web services, etc.) interact with one another through the exchange of multimedia information, to give rise to intelligent, proactive behaviors. The conceptual framework is structured along three layers - physical, inference and user - and is based on an information space of events, conditions and actions, linked together in Event-Condition-Action rules and operating according to the interconnection metaphor. The results of the user study have provided some indications for the implementation of the user layer, suggesting which could be the most suitable interaction style for rule design by a community of end users (e.g. a family) and which issues should be addressed in such a wide context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of different methods (and models) that support the design and evaluation of interactive systems raises a question about the transferability of such methods between application sectors and domains. The transferability refers to the selection and application of a method in a development context, qualifying it for the interactive system in hand. The transferability process should help to identify the main features of the new contexts of use, also taking into account that the system to be developed has to ensure universal access. Moreover, it should allow designers to capitalize on previous development experiences in a systematic way. In order to analyze some of the many challenges determined by the transfer process, this paper reports experiences of transferring a meta-design model, whose aim is to support the design of systems that enable people to perform end-user development activities. The model is further developed when applied in another application domain. A meta-design model can be used in a novel context supporting the design of systems for users performing development activities. Based on the reported experiences on active people involvement, hints for the transferability of any model are provided. People can actively contribute to system design, development and evolution overtime using the novel approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interaction design of mobile systems is a complex activity because it requires considering new usability and user experience aspects in order to exploit the peculiar characteristics of mobile devices, such as their pervasive and ubiquitous nature. This paper discusses issues about designing, developing and evaluating mobile systems. Italy has a rich cultural heritage, and the focus in this study is on the design of systems that enable interactive exploration of historical sites, not only for enhancing the user experience but also for learning purposes. The experience of the researchers at the Interaction, Visualisation and Usability lab, University of Bari, Italy, in designing a mobile learning system, called Explore!, which supports young students learning ancient history during a visit to archaeological parks, is reported. The evaluation of Explore! through systematic field studies shows that the adopted approach is able to transform the visit to archaeological parks into a more complete and culturally rich experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]