Towards analytical evaluation of human machine interfaces developed in the context of smart homes

Abstract

Designing human machine interfaces that respect the ergonomic norms and following rigorous approaches constitutes a major concern for computer systems designers. The increased need on easily accessible and usable interfaces leads researchers in this domain to create methods and models that make it possible to evaluate these interfaces in terms of utility and usability. Two different approaches are currently used to evaluate human machine interfaces, empirical approaches that require user involvement in the interface development process, and analytical approaches that do not associate the user during the interface development process. This paper presents a study of user performance on two principal tasks of the contextual assistant’s interface, developed in the context of smart homes, to assist persons with cognitive disabilities. We use three different methods to analyze and evaluate this interface.