GUIDE · Gentle User Interfaces for Disabled and Elderly Citizens

GUIDE develops a toolbox of adaptive, multi-modal user interfaces (UIs) that target the accessibility requirements of elderly users in their home environment, making use of TV set-top boxes as processing and connectivity platform beside the common PC platform. With its software, hardware and documented knowledge, this toolbox will put developers of ICT applications in the position to easier implement truly accessible applications using the most recent user interface technologies with reduced development effort.For this purpose, the toolbox provides the technology of advanced multi-modal UI components as well as the adaptation mechanisms necessary to make UI components interoperable with legacy and novel applications, including the capability to self-adapt to user needs.Following a user-centred approach, user studies investigate optimum combinations of UIs and their adaptation in selected ICT applications for all relevant individual accessibility requirements. The scope of disabilities covers a majority of the ageing population that suffer mild visual, auditory, speech and motor impairments. Because the project targets support tools for application development rather than a specific application, a user model is developed that represents the results of the user studies in a generalized way by virtual user" profiles.This user model forms the core of a "smart adaptation layer" (SAL). The SAL can adapt an ensemble of UI interfaces to a given ICT application and specific user needs at runtime, using the virtual user representation compiled from the user studies. By integrating an ICT application with the SAL, GUIDE UI components become reusable not only on a software level, but also regarding accessibility requirements.Moreover, a simulation engine included in the toolbox predicts both the perception and the interaction of virtual impaired users, raising ICT application developers' awareness to the accessibility problems of their target users."