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

Abstract

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

Technology Choreography: Studying Interactions in Microsoft's Future Visoins Through Dance

“…With these reinforcements, Kaasinen et al argued that user acceptance studies have incorporated some of the critical variables to benefit the studies on intelligent environments (p. 6). Kaasinen et al (2013) also noted that users should be provided with a role as co-crafters of their intelligent environments (p. 3). They argued that, as intelligent technologies become ubiquitous and pervasive, the use of intelligent technologies becomes less optional; rather, smart technologies become part of users' surroundings and daily life.…”

“…The moving and making strange approach suits well the design of movement-oriented interactive systems. Kaasinen et al (2013) approached intelligent environments from a user-centered perspective and built their approach on the concepts of user expectation, user acceptance, and user experience. They recognized the interplay between the concepts of expectation and experience.…”

Welcome to the Future – How Naïve Users Intuitively Address an Intelligent Robotics Apartment

“…To turn science fiction into science fact, we need to create intuitive, acceptable, and efficient technical systems [2], [8]. To do so, we have to explore how people actually interact with innovation technology upon a first encounter.…”

“…Smart homes are living environments equipped with information technology to assist users in mundane tasks. The smart home stores information about the occupants' needs and habits and utilizes this information to improve the users' comfort, security, and entertainment by connecting the smart home's technology to the world beyond [2,3]. Different smart home solutions with a diverse range of sensors, actuators, and biomedical monitors are already on the market.…”

“…Different smart home solutions with a diverse range of sensors, actuators, and biomedical monitors are already on the market. Individual components can even be controlled via smartphone or computer [2,3]. For instance, users can check if the oven is turned off when they are not at home.…”