Software Agents: Completing Patterns and Constructing User Interfaces

TL;DR

This paper presents an interactive note-taking system for pen-based computers that predicts user input and automatically creates custom user interfaces, demonstrating a learning-agent approach to enhance information recording and retrieval.

Contribution

It introduces a novel learning-based system that predicts writing and constructs user interfaces dynamically for pen-based computers.

Findings

The system effectively predicts user input during note-taking.

It successfully generates custom user interfaces on demand.

User interaction is improved through adaptive interface construction.

Abstract

To support the goal of allowing users to record and retrieve information, this paper describes an interactive note-taking system for pen-based computers with two distinctive features. First, it actively predicts what the user is going to write. Second, it automatically constructs a custom, button-box user interface on request. The system is an example of a learning-apprentice software- agent. A machine learning component characterizes the syntax and semantics of the user's information. A performance system uses this learned information to generate completion strings and construct a user interface. Description of Online Appendix: People like to record information. Doing this on paper is initially efficient, but lacks flexibility. Recording information on a computer is less efficient but more powerful. In our new note taking softwre, the user records information directly on a computer. Behind the interface, an agent acts for the user. To help, it provides defaults and constructs a custom user interface. The demonstration is a QuickTime movie of the note taking agent in action. The file is a binhexed self-extracting archive. Macintosh utilities for binhex are available from mac.archive.umich.edu. QuickTime is available from ftp.apple.com in the dts/mac/sys.soft/quicktime.