A framework for understanding contexts in interactive systems development

Abstract

The context of an interactive system is not a single, unified entity. As multiple users interact with a system, engaging in multiple tasks in multiple environments, the nature of the context changes. This research proposes a framework for managing context, the Context-influence Framework. The Context-Influence Framework defines such a system as having multiple contexts, each associated with a particular combination of users and use of the system. These combinations, called “Use Subsystems,” are affected by contextual Influences. Influences provide a means of standardizing and sharing contextual information within a team. For capturing contextual influence, context itself is divided into “Domains,” areas of interest from which elements of context can be described. Once contextual Influences are captured and described, the descriptions of the contexts themselves can be managed and manipulated through the use of three hierarchies: People, Activity and Environment.