Migratory user interfaces able to adapt to various interaction platforms

Abstract The goal of this work is the design of an environment for supporting runtime migration of Web interfaces among different platforms. This allows users interacting with a Web application to change device and continue their interaction from the same point. The migration takes into account the runtime state of the interactive application and the different features of the devices involved. We consider Web interfaces developed through a multiple-level approach using: the definition of the tasks to support, the abstract description of the user interface and the actual code. The runtime migration engine exploits information regarding the application runtime state and higher-level information on the available target platforms. Runtime application data are used to achieve interaction continuity and preserve usability, while information on the different platforms is considered to adapt the application's appearance and behaviour to the specific device. The paper also discusses a sample application in order to provide concrete examples of the results that can be achieved through our approach.