Design principles for inducing reactivity in ubiquitous environments

Ubiquitous environments are becoming increasingly aware of their inhabitants: they possess vision capabilities, auditory capabilities and more interestingly intelligent capabilities. At the heart of such environments is the ability of systems to initiate responsive reactions to contextual changes. We describe the concept of ubiquitous systems' reactivity. We identify important design principles that should be embraced by systems designers to build reactive systems that can engage users in richer and more meaningful interactions. Finally, we describe a prototype that we deployed in a domestic space and we explain how our design principles can help bridge the gap between end-users and ubiquitous systems.