Interactions in Context-Zero: Towards Conceptual Adaptation through the Izbushka Agent

Background

Through the use and investigation of intelligent agents we can study human- computer interactions in ways that are new and unconventional. Agents can be used to study various emergent behaviors that occur when users interact with technology. These behaviors and interaction patterns are what shape and drive many interfaces. Only by changing our perception and developing new ideas can we truly understand the best methods in which humans and machines learn and interact together. It is not in our best interest to create interfaces or rely only on our current methodologies and metaphorical constructs for current computer environments and software; we need to truly have an understanding of human perception in these contexts in order to develop the best ways of interaction. Through the interaction with computers and other technology, the process has generally “been structured through metaphors drawn from physical spaces…and through certain assumptions about the user derived from pre-existing, physical relationships” (Trajkovski, 2007). Some preconceived metaphors commonly shared between users of internet and other technology that are grounded in the real physical world include: online shopping, shopping carts, virtual classrooms, chat rooms, desktops, multi-user dungeons, e-books, email etc. Many computer related metaphors are drawn from real objects or real physical spaces or interactions. Our investigations seek to find new and different ways to interact in these environments in ways that are not grounded in such preconceived metaphors.