Coupling Interaction Resources in Ambient Spaces: There Is More Than Meets the Eye!

  • Authors:
  • Nicolas Barralon;Joëlle Coutaz

  • Affiliations:
  • Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex, France 38041;Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex, France 38041

  • Venue:
  • Engineering Interactive Systems
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

Coupling is the action of binding two entities so that they can operate together to provide new functions. In this article, we propose a formal definition for coupling and present two complementary conceptual tools to reason about coupling interaction resources. The first tool is a graph theoretic and algebraic notation that can be used to identify the consequents of causal couplings so that the side-effects of the creation of a coupling can be analyzed in a formal and systematic way. The second tool formulates the problem of coupling using an 8 state automaton that models the life cycle of a coupling and provides designers with a structure to verify that usability properties have been satisfied for each state. We conclude with the concept of meta-UI, an overarching interactive system that shows that coupling is only one aspect of a larger problem space.