Immediate User Interface Adaptation in Multi-device Environments

Taking full advantage of the wireless network infrastructure surrounding us, requires better interoperability between personal network capable electronic devices. In many cases it is restricted to data sharing or the inter-device interaction is cumbersome. One trend in research is the notion of plasticity, allowing user interfaces to adapt to various contexts and thereby support the user in the multi-device environments. We however argue that an important factor in the eortlessness of the user is the immediacy of the adaptation process. In this paper we explore the plastic interface types, distributed and migratory interfaces and propose proxemic interaction techniques as a framework to provide context awareness, which can help systems infer how and when to adapt.