CASPER: an interactive IoT automation management environment combining visual and conversational support

In smart spaces, multiple connected objects and sensors act in a coordinated manner through automations that are deployed into the environment. A common approach to empowering users to configure the desired automated behaviours is using trigger-action programming (TAP). However, it can be difficult for users to untangle the behaviour of the created rules. In this paper, we propose CASPER, a novel tool to manage smart environments, support users in controlling their objects and devices, and create and modify automations. It provides support in detecting and understanding possible problems between TAP rules (such as conflicts and unexpected direct or indirect rule activations), and between such automations and users’ goals (e.g. energy, wellbeing, health). It also provides suggestions for potential improvements to current automations. The feedback from the evaluation of an initial prototype and the analysis of the state of the art guided the development of the new platform, which integrates conversational interaction and a visual interface, thus providing a comprehensive IoT automation management environment. CASPER was then tested in a follow-up study involving 16 participants. The revised prototype received good usability ratings, unveiled interaction patterns across the two interaction modalities, and informed design implications for further developments.