Glossary
| Term | Description |
| SFE | Service Front-End: Service front-ends are interfaces between the user and the backend through which the user gets access to various services. |
| UI | User Interface: “In the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, the user interface is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the machine which aids the operator in making operational decisions.” [Wikipedia online cited: 03 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface] |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface: “In computing a graphical user interface (GUI, sometimes pronounced gooey) is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. … A GUI represents the information and actions available to a user through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation.” [Wikipedia online cited: 03 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface] |
| Ego Narration | In the ego narration, the narrator is identical to the figure of the narration. Narrations or role-playing are often used in the user-centred-design process. |
| Affinity Diagram | “The affinity diagram is a business tool used to organize ideas and data. It is one of the Seven Management and Planning Tools. The tool is commonly used within project management and allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming to be sorted into groups for review and analysis.” [Wikipedia online cited: 03 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_diagram] |
| HMD | HMD: “A head-mounted display or helmet mounted display, both abbreviated HMD, is a display device, worn on the head or as part of a helmet, that has a small display optic in front of one (monocular HMD) or each eye (binocular HMD).” [Wikipedia online cited: 03 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-mounted_display] |
| HCI | Human Computer Interaction: “Human–computer interaction (HCI) is the study, planning and design of the interaction between people (users) and computers. It is often regarded as the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences, design and several other fields of study.” [Wikipedia online cited: 03 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human–computer_interaction] |
| IDE | Integrated Development Environment: “An integrated development environment (IDE) also known as integrated design environment or integrated debugging environment is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development.” [Wikipedia online cited: 03 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_development_environment] |
| AUI | Abstract User Interface: A description of a UI that is independent from the specific UI resources available on the target computing platform. |
| CUI | Concrete User Interface: A description of a UI that is dependent on the specific UI resources and modalities available on the target computing platform. |
| FUI | Final User Interface: The UI produced at the implemenetation level, expressed as source code. |
| Platform | A class of devices that share the same characteristics in terms of interaction resources. Examples of platforms are the graphical desktop, PDAs, mobile phones, vocal systems,… |
| Adaptability | The capacity of a UI to adapt its behaviour through explicit human intervention. |
| Adaptable user interface | A UI that supports adaptability. |
| Adaptive user interfaces | A UI that supports adaptivity. |
| Adaptivity | The capacity of a UI to adapt without any explicit human intervention. |
| Context | A context identifies the situation in which e.g. a certain action occurs. Several aspects can be considered within the context: the user, the device, the environment,.. |
| CADS | Context-aware Design Space |
| CARF | Context-aware Reference Framework |
| CRF | Cameleon Reference Framework |
| Interactor | A single interaction object |
| Meta-UI | Interactive system whose set of functions is necessary and sufficient to control and evaluate the state of an interactive ambient space |
| MDA | Model-Driven Architecture: the population of the software development process with difference models, each representing a particular view on the system being built |
| Ontology | Is a formal and explicit specification of known concepts |
| Plastic UI | A user interface capable of adapting itself according to pre-defined adaptation rules and its context |
| Plasticity | Property of adapting a user-interface depending on the change of the context of use |
| QoSFE | Quality of Front-End Services |
| Re-molding | Exploiting different modalities |
| TS | Technological Space: working context and the related: concepts, knowledge, tools, required skills, and possibilities |
| CAA | Context-aware Adaptation |
| ICT | Information and Communication Technologies |
| MDE | Model-Driven Engineering |
| MEP | Member European Parliament |
| RTD | Research and Technical Development |
| SE | Software Engenieering |
| SME | Small and Medium Enterprises |
| SOA | Service-oriented Architecture, A service-oriented architecture is essentially a collection of services. These services communicate with each other. The communication can involve either simple data passing or it could involve two or more services coordinating some activity. [http://www.service-architecture.com/web-services/articles/service-oriented_architecture_soa_definition.html] |