Rapid User-Centred Evaluation for Context-Aware Systems

This paper describes a platform for the user-centred design and evaluation of adaptive, context-aware services in the wireless, mobile and pervasive computing markets. It focuses on evaluating the user interactions with context-aware adaptive systems while synchronising the control of the environmental context that drives adaptivity and the user’s perception of that environment. The platform uses a 3D virtual reality simulation to present the environment to the user and to drive the generation of simulated environmental context. The platform thereby delivers repeatable, instrumented, contextdependent evaluations of adaptive services over a range of contexts. It aims to reduce development costs and facilitate the development of more effective, user-empowering services.