Software customized by users: UW prof wants to revolutionize UI |
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Software customized by users: UW prof wants to revolutionize UI
Researchers at the University of Washington are working on a way for computer users to customize PC software by changing the way pixels appear on the screen -- adding an iTunes control button to Microsoft Word, for example, in much the same way that web developers create mashups of online services.
The research, announced yesterday, is scheduled to be presented next month at the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Dubbed "Prefab," the project is led by James Fogarty, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering, working with UW computer science and engineering graduate student Morgan Dixon.
"We really see this as a first step toward a scenario where anybody can modify any application," Fogarty tells the UW's Hannah Hickey. "In a sense, this has happened online. You've got this mash-up culture on the Web because everybody can see the HTML. But that hasn't been possible on the desktop."
Fogarty and Dixon explain the approach in this paper for the ACM conference: PDF, 10 pages.
Apart from basic functionality such as the ability to add new buttons to software, the technology would allow for the implementation of new features such as assistive technologies for people with disabilities or others who have trouble using standard computer inputs. The video above explains some of the possibilities.
The UW says the researchers are continuing to work on the project, and looking into the possibility of commercializing the technology.
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