Abstract. This paper presents the development of a user-oriented framework to support the user reconfiguration of ubiquitous domestic environments. We present a lightweight component model that allows a range of devices to be readily interconnected and an

“Playing with the Bits”

User-configuration of Ubiquitous Domestic Environments

Jan Humble*, Andy Crabtree, Terry Hemmings , Karl-Petter Åkesson*,

Boriana Koleva, Tom Rodden, Pär Hansson*

*SICS, Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Box 1623, SE-164 29 Kista, Sweden. {humble, par, kalle}@sics se

MRL Lab, Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK. {axc, tah, bnk, tar}@cs.nott.ac.uk

Abstract. This paper presents the development of a user-oriented framework to support the user reconfiguration of ubiquitous domestic environments. We pre-sent a lightweight component model that allows a range of devices to be readily interconnected and an editor to support users in doing this. The editor discovers available ubiquitous components and presents these to users as jigsaw pieces that can be dynamically recombined. The developed editor allows users to as-semble lightweight sensors, devices such as displays and larger applications in order to meet their particular needs.

1 Introduction

The emergence of increasingly interactive ubiquitous environments makes it impor-tant that we consider how devices are placed within an environment, how combina-tions of these devices are practically managed, and how these devices work as an ensemble. This is particularly true in domestic settings where inhabitants have con-siderably more control over the environment than in office or work settings. An es-sential element of domestic environments is their evolutionary nature. Domestic envi-ronments are open to continual change and the need to support this change is essential to the successful uptake of ubiquitous devices in domestic spaces. Previous studies have highlighted how inhabitants continually reconfigure domestic spaces and the technologies within them to meet particular demands [7]. Similarly, architectural historians, such as Brand [2], have highlighted the importance of change to allow inhabitants to appropriate and adapt domestic spaces to meet their evolving needs. The dynamics of change highlighted by Brand are particularly significant when we consider the nature of ubiquitous computing in domestic environments [8]. As Ed-wards and Grinter [4] point out, unlike the lab houses that largely provide the focus of current research in the area, the networked home of the future will not be custom designed from the start but will emerge in a piecemeal fashion. The evolutionary development and the piecemeal introduction of ubiquitous computing into the home environment demand that we consider how real world processes of adoption and use