The remarkable advances in infrastructure and computing power in the last few years have changed how users work with computers. Instead of working with a single, personal computer, users now spread their activities and knowledge across a wide variety of computational devices (e.g. wall-size displays, electronic whiteboards, desktop PCs, laptops, wearables, PDAs, cellphones). As designers of information systems, we have not kept pace with this shift. The resulting gap between practice and paradigm offers both challenges and opportunities. Closing this gap will require systems that are aware of and can adapt to the particular needs of a specific user. Creating such a system will require access to the user's personal data and individual behavior, as well as models of where she is, where she goes, and what she does. Our basic premise, then, is that we must design systems not for users working with a personal computer, but for users living in a personal information environment.

By the very nature of the problem, the system must adapt not only the a specific user, but to that user's ever-evolving needs. Thus, the system is an always-on, always-present, living entity.

This research group is dedicated to exploring APIEs. We are interested in understanding the software engineering, machine learning, and human-computer interaction technical issues, but we also wish to understand the social and cultural implications of APIEs and similar technology.

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Contacts:

Charles Isbell isbell@cc.gatech.edu

Jeff Pierce jpierce@cc.gatech.edu