UIFlex: a meta-design solution for the web

Abstract

To meet the diversity of users and the different interaction needs, user interfaces could be more flexible and adapted according to each user profile. The flexibility achieved by the interfaces of current web applications is scarce enough, preventing the power of meta-design. In addition, to adapt the web today the user has to configure each application separately and not all users are aware of the different possibilities of presentation and configuration of each of them. Thus, this article proposes a tool, named UIFlex, that assists the user in the construction of his/her interaction profile considering guidelines and good design recommendations. A set of rules is therefore defined and the tool adapts the presentation of different websites to each user. UIFlex was used by people with different interaction profiles and the results suggest improvements in the users' perceptions regarding satisfaction and efficiency.