A User Experience Perspective of Design for Context-Aware Adaption

During the last fifteen years, more and more context-aware devices, like smart shutters and GPS navigator, have been introduced to our daily life. Many of such devices have been developed to improve quality of life, and furthermore, to engage the end users with a richer environment by using multiple sensing technologies, such as GPS, brightness and gravity sensors. Unlike many desktop applications, context-aware devices have usually been used to offer always-on services to end users. In addition to taking advantage of context-awareness, a number of variables involved in highly dynamic environments also bring new challenges to Human-Computer Interaction design for such devices. One important concept of context-awareness is to improve the user experience by utilizing the resources available in the physical environment. Many context-aware devices use automated methods to generate the Quality of Service measurement for alternative reconfiguration when a change in the context occur but is that still competent when subjective issues are considered? This research takes a user experience perspective, which focuses on basic needs fulfillment and user preferences. The aim of this research is to clarify the relationship between users' motivations and preferences within alternative context-aware adaption, in order to help the designers improve the subjective user experience.