GUIDE Project Objectives

The GUIDE project set out to help developers build TV and web applications that could adapt to users’ abilities and preferences. Its objectives covered the software that adapted an interface, the tools developers used to test designs and the research needed to decide which adaptations were useful. Archived Objectives page (external site)

What did GUIDE intend to develop?

GUIDE intended to build a reusable software framework that could connect a service to different input and output technologies. Developers would be able to work with options such as remote controls, speech, gesture or a second screen and let the framework handle some of the personalisation. A separate design-time simulator would help teams investigate barriers before trying the interface with users.

What did GUIDE intend to learn from users?

GUIDE intended to learn how older adults used existing technology, which interaction methods they preferred and where they needed help. The team planned to use studies with participants to inform a model of user abilities and preferences. The model would support both developer simulations and the settings applied when a person used a GUIDE-enabled application.

How did GUIDE plan to test and share its approach?

GUIDE planned to test its approach through reference applications and to share design knowledge through a handbook, guidance and research publications. The consortium also planned to collaborate on user model standardisation. The target outcomes describe these commitments, and the project results distinguish documented prototypes and trials from the original plans.