Meta-GUI-builders: Generating domain-specific interface builders for multi-device user interface creation

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a growing demand to design user interfaces that run on many devices. However, existing multi-device design approaches are not suitable for domain experts, whose input can be invaluable to come to a suitable user interface for a specific domain. Existing techniques often require the manipulation of high-level models and transformations which are difficult to interpret and predict by a domain expert without a technical background. We present Meta-GUI-Builders, a new generation of graphical user interface builder tools that allows domain experts to create multi-device GUI designs themselves. These tools automatically adapt their workspace to a specific domain by encapsulating domain-specific elements in the designer's tool palette. Engaging domain experts in a multi-device design approach is a first step towards creating aesthetic user interfaces that can be deployed on many devices, a combination that is hard to achieve with previous approaches.