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A formal model for plastic human computer interfaces

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Abstract

The considerable and significant progress achieved in the design and development of new interaction devices between man and machine has enabled the emergence of various powerful and efficient input and/or output devices. Each of these new devices brings specific interaction modes.With the emergence of these devices, new interaction techniques and modes arise and new interaction capabilities are offered. New user interfaces need to be designed or former ones need to evolve. The design of so called plastic user interfaces contributes to handling such evolutions. The key requirement for the design of such a user interface is that the new obtained user interface shall be adapted to the application and have, at least, the same behavior as the previous (adapted) one. This paper proposes to address the problem of user interface evolution due to the introduction of new interaction devices and/or new interaction modes. More, precisely, we are interested by the study of the design process of a user interface resulting from the evolution of a former user interface due to the introduction of new devices and/or new interaction capabilities. We consider that interface behaviors are described by labelled transition systems and comparison between user interfaces is handled by an extended definition of the bi-simulation relationship to compare user interface behaviors when interaction modes are replaced by new ones.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science School for Engineers (ESI), Algiers, 16270, Algeria

    Abdelkrim Chebieb

  2. IRIT-INPT-ENSEEIHT, Toulouse, 31071, France

    Yamine Ait Ameur

Authors
  1. Abdelkrim Chebieb
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  2. Yamine Ait Ameur
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Correspondence to Abdelkrim Chebieb or Yamine Ait Ameur.

Additional information

Abdelkrim Chebieb is an assistant professor and PhD candidate at Computer Science School for Engineers (ES), Algeria. He got his MS and BS in computer science (Hardware and Software systems) at the Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi- Ouzou, Algeria.

Yamine Ait Ameur is a professor at the Polytechnique National Institute in Toulouse (INPT-ENSEEIHT), France. He is a member of the ACADIE research team at IRIT Computer Science Research Institute in Toulouse, France. Formal modeling is in the heart of his research activities. Formal methods in particular refinement and proof based methods and ontology based modeling are his main topics of interest.

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Chebieb, A., Ait Ameur, Y. A formal model for plastic human computer interfaces. Front. Comput. Sci. 12, 351–375 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11704-016-5460-3

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