Modeling decisions in intelligent user interfaces

In this paper, we are concerned with the run-time communication decisions which need to be made by an intelligent user interface. We model communication decisions as a decision-making process, where a selection among a set of alternative constituents is needed, in order to satisfy specific design goals. Based on techniques from the domains of multiple-criteria decision making and decision making under doubt, we propose the use of a model which takes into account the significance of each constituent toward the satisfaction of each design goal, as well as the consideration of the decision maker (interface designer) regarding the significance of each design goal. Following the proposed approach, a design strategy can be represented by a design vector, and thus, we can define properties of, and relationships between, different design strategies, based on their respective vectors. A specific example deploying the proposed model is presented, based on data from the relevant literature. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.