FrameKit: A Tool for Authoring Adaptive UIs Using Keyframes

Abstract

Adaptive user interfaces (AUIs) can improve user experience by automatically adapting how information and functionality are presented in a user interface. However, the dynamic nature and potentially numerous variations of AUIs make them challenging to author. In this paper, we present a generalized framework for defining adaptation as interpolations between UIs and introduce a computational approach for intelligently generating new variations of a UI from a small set of designs. Based on this approach, we develop FrameKit, an authoring tool with a programming-by-example interface that retains flexibility and control afforded by manual authoring while reducing effort through automatic generation. We demonstrate that FrameKit can support adaptations that typically require domain-specific toolkits, such as those found in context-aware applications, responsive UIs, and ability-based adaptation. We evaluated FrameKit with ten front-end developers, who successfully authored AUIs after a short tutorial session and suggested that FrameKit provides an effective mental model for AUI authoring.