X-AiD: A Shell for Building Highly Interactive and Adaptive User Interfaces

Abstract

X-AiD is an intelligent shell to design and operate user interfaces. Its surfiKlC offers an integrated and extendable structure of icons, windows, menus, natural text, universal operations, and special service functions. X-AiD consists of a set of specialized knowledge interpreters, implemented u uynchronous processes exchanging messages. X-AiD operates based on declarative knowledge. It embodies common sense aboUt "working with a computer" in general, expen knowledge about the supponed applications behind it, and collected knowledge about each of its usera. Knowledge is described using the representation language HAL. HAL enables <:Omfonable declaration of object schemes with multiple inheritanc:es and extensive default-handling. All HAL object schemes may contain specialized rulesets related to human-computer communication topics (eg. syntax, seman!ics, display). The system is prepared to work in a "learning by being used"-mode where it memorizes protocols about all occuring actions, including undo/redo operations. Later on it analyses those protocols extracting new object schemes, fluctuation of defaults, new semantics rules, and frequent plans-of-action which the specific user mainly followed. This learned knowledse is applied vice versa to aid this user eg. by preparing for him situation-dependent menus and object instances down the mainstream of his work or explaining to him his dialog state and how he got there .