A User-Centric View of Intelligent Environments: User Expectations, User Experience and User Role inBuilding Intelligent Environments

Computers

Eija Kaasinen²  Tiina Kymäläinen²  Marketta Niemelä²  Thomas Olsson³  Minni Kanerva¹ 

[1] Movial, Porkkalankatu 20, FI-00180 Helsinki, Finland; E-mail:;VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Tekniikankatu 1, FI-33720 Tampere, Finland; E-mails:;Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 10, FI-33720 Tampere, Finland; E-mail:

关键词: intelligent environments;    ambient intelligence;    user acceptance;    user experience;    interaction;    tangible interaction;    augmented reality;    do-it-yourself;   

DOI  :  10.3390/computers2010001

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Our everyday environments are gradually becoming intelligent, facilitated both by technological development and user activities. Although large-scale intelligent environments are still rare in actual everyday use, they have been studied for quite a long time, and several user studies have been carried out. In this paper, we present a user-centric view of intelligent environments based on published research results and our own experiences from user studies with concepts and prototypes. We analyze user acceptance and users’ expectations that affect users’ willingness to start using intelligent environments and to continue using them. We discuss user experience of interacting with intelligent environments where physical and virtual elements are intertwined. Finally, we touch on the role of users in shaping their own intelligent environments instead of just using ready-made environments. People are not merely “using” the intelligent environments but they live in them, and they experience the environments via embedded services and new interaction tools as well as the physical and social environment. Intelligent environments should provide emotional as well as instrumental value to the people who live in them, and the environments should be trustworthy and controllable both by regular users and occasional visitors. Understanding user expectations and user experience in intelligent environments, and providing users with tools to influence the environments can help to shape the vision of intelligent environments into meaningful, acceptable and appealing service entities for all those who live and act in them.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.