A new architecture for intelligent help systems

Abstract

The provision of intelligent help has been an active area of research since the beginning of the eighties, suggesting that a new generation of Intelligent Help Systems (IHSs) might emerge in the near future. However, this paper argues that such a scenario is unlikely with current designs which are divorced from application software and which place sophisticated plan recognition and user modelling techniques at the heart of the help giving process. This view is supported by experience gained in the development of a large IHS demonstrator, and subsequent attempts to exploit the results within a software manufacturing business. A new architecture for help systems is proposed which draws upon attempts to integrate software and help system development and which gives a central role to a dialogue component.