This papers looks in detail at the Programmable User Modelling (PUM) approach to interactive system design. The theoretical background of PUM is discussed and a history of PUM work is outlined. Other related issues such as formal notations, other user modelling techniques used in HCI, and integration are also discussed. An agenda for further work is then proposed.

User Modelling is the core component of every personalisation service provided to various groups of users in an attempt to utilise available recourses in the best possible way. While researching the literature, one can recognise that User Modelling had its first appliance in the area of Intelligent Tutoring and Adaptive Hypermedia Systems, especially in the educational context. With the introdu...

A context -aware system can adapt its behaviour according to the user’s personal or environmental context. Historically, user models have been used to enable the adaptation and personalisation of services or information delivered to users. However, despite the apparent correlation between the two approaches, the utilisation of user modelling techniques within the domain of context -aware comput...

An extension of the GUMS user modelling module is described which includes multiple inheritance between user stereotypes, multiple top level nodes in a network to allow a range of dimensions on which the user can be classified, and rules to change the stereotypes of users. A method is described using Wizard of Oz studies and interviews to provide the information to populate this model for appli...

For interactive systems to communicate in a cooperative manner, they must have knowledge about their users. This article explores the role of user models in such systems, with the goal of identifying when and how user models may be useful in a cooperative interactive system. User models are classified by the types of knowledge they contain, several user modelling characteristics that serve as d...

Modelling techniques and visual languages have become more important to support new approaches for the development of network organisations and for business transformation. User oriented holistic Enterprise Modelling must be capable to capture a multitude of enterprise aspects, business processes, inter and intra organisational integration as well as active knowledge management. Today, these re...

User modelling shells and learner modelling servers (LMS) have been proposed in order to provide reusable user/student model information over different domains, common inference mechanisms, and mechanisms to handle consistency of beliefs from different sources. Open and inspectable student models have been investigated by several authors as a means to promote student’s reflection, knowledge awa...

We have explored the role of user modelling in live help systems for e-commerce web sites. There are several potential benefits with user modelling in this context: 1) Human assistants can use the personal information in the user models to provide the users with efficient support tailored to their personal needs; 2) Assistants can be more comfortable in their supporting role; 3) Consultation re...

This paper describes the development and application of a new unique tool to support designers to optimise the sustainability of urban neighbourhoods (SUNtool). In this the paper introduces (i) the software architecture, (ii) the integrated solver and related innovations in the modelling of radiation exchange, reduced thermal modelling, stochastic modelling of occupant presence and behaviour, a...

As designers of information retrieval (IR) systems, we need some way to measure the performance of our systems. An excellent approach to take is to directly measure actual user performance either in situ or in the laboratory [12]. The downside of live user involvement is the prohibitive cost if many evaluations are required. For example, it is common practice to sweep parameter settings for ran...