We perceive the flow of time as a constant factor in the real world, but there are examples in media, like films or games, where time is being manipulated and slowed down. Manipulating temporal cues is simple in linear media by slowing down video and audio. Interactive media like VR however poses additional challenges, because user interaction speed is independent from media speed. While the speed of the environment can still be manipulated easily, interaction is a new aspect to consider. We implemented such manipulation by slowing down visual feedback of user movements. In prior experiments we slowed down the virtual representation of a user by applying a velocity based low pass filter and by visually redirecting the motion. We found such a manipulation to be even contributing to realism, enjoyment or presence as long as it is consistent with the experience.

Home automation faces the challenge of providing ubiquitous, unobtrusive services while empowering users with approachable configuration interfaces. These interfaces need to provide sufficient expressiveness to support complex automation, and notations need to be devised that enable less tech-savvy users to express such scenarios. Rule-based and process-oriented paradigms have emerged as opposing ends of the spectrum; however, their underlying concepts have not been studied comparatively. We report on a contextual inquiry study in which we collected qualitative data from 18 participants in 12 households on the current potential and acceptance of home automation, as well as explored the respective benefits and drawbacks of these two notation paradigms for end users. Results show that rule-based notations are sufficient for simple automation tasks but not flexible enough for more complex use cases. The resulting insights can inform the design of interfaces for smart homes to enable usable real-world home automation for end users.

We present Ubidoo, a home automation system that is able to fuse information from a variety of sensors and use logical inference to trigger appropriate actions based on observed events. The prototype is capable of tracking and identifying multiple users within a domestic setting, resolving ambiguous situations that occur when users cross ways. The system is applied to keep track of multimedia playback on a user's device, with the capability of rerouting it to the user's current location.

Orientation in public environments is a critical skill for new arrivals, yet also one that is usually only learned gradually through trial and error. This paper suggests the use of pervasive augmented reality (AR) for the design of a serious game that teaches navigational skills in a public environment. Many AR scavenger hunt games confront players with new environments by default, however they rarely focus explicitly on teaching navigational skills. We propose a concept that utilises augmented reality techniques for increased immersion and motivation, while upholding the real-world sense of presence for an easy transfer of orientation skills to everyday life. For this purpose, we implemented a first prototypical serious game in the form of an AR scavenger hunt. A preliminary evaluation regarding its usability produced promising results. As such, the prototype constitutes a first proof of concept. In future iterations, it will be further developed as an adaptive AR serious game, and evaluated in respect to its efficacy in teaching orientation and navigation skills.