Abstract

We are reaching a crisis with design of user interfaces for consumer electronics. Flashing 12:00 time indicators, push-and-hold buttons, and interminable modes and menus are all symptoms of trying to maintain a one-to-one correspondence between functions and physical controls, which becomes hopeless as the number of capabilities of devices grows. The root of this problem is that the devices do not have knowledge of (a) their own capabilities (b) the scenarios where they can be of use. By using commonsense knowledge and an AI partial-order planner we propose instead to orient interfaces around the goals that users have for the devices.

We present Roadie, a user interface agent that provides intelligent context-sensitive help and assistance for a network of consumer devices. Roadie uses a commonsense knowledge base to map between user goals and functions of the devices, and an AI partial-order planner to provide mixed-initiative assistance with executing multi-step procedures and debugging help when things go wrong.

Keywords: Commonsense reasoning; Planning; Consumer electronics; Goal-oriented interfaces

Article Outline

1. The crisis in consumer electronics interfaces

2. Users need help with many scenarios of use

2.1. Goal-oriented interfaces

2.2. Self-describing

2.3. Self-revealing

2.4. Self-debugging

3. Introducing Roadie

3.1. Roadie device requirements

4. Roadie’s internal architecture

4.1. Commonsense knowledge and EventNet

4.2. User interaction module, commonsense plan recognizer

4.3. Device interface

4.4. Debugging information

5. User scenario

5.1. Recording to a CD

5.2. Watch the news

5.3. Kitchensense

6. Preliminary evaluation

6.1. Related work

6.2. Interfaces to consumer electronics devices

6.3. Mixed-initiative interfaces

6.4. Goal-oriented and commonsense interfaces

6.5. Self-explanatory interfaces

6.6. Expanding roadie’s capabilities

6.6.1. Learning from user’s habits

6.6.2. Allowing the user to set custom goals

6.6.3. Improving Roadie user interface

7. Discussion

7.1. Implications of goal-oriented interfaces

7.2. A plan recognizer with commonsense vs. other plan recognizing approaches

7.3. Scruffy vs. neat knowledge approaches

8. Conclusion

Acknowledgements

References