"Let There Be Light": Examining Interfaces for Homes of the Future

As smart devices proliferate in the home and become universally networked, users will experience an increase in both the number of the devices they can control and the available interaction modalities for controlling them. Researchers have explored the possibilities of speechand gesture-based interfaces in desktop scenarios, but it is also necessary to explore these technologies in the context of an intelligent environment, one in which the user’s focus moves off of the desktop and into a physically disparate set of networked smart devices. We report results from a lab study where six families tried various interfaces for controlling lights in the home. Results indicate a preference for speech-based interfaces and illuminate the importance of location awareness.