A User-Adaptive Chart Editing System Based on User Modeling and Critiquing

Electronic publishing is being influenced by the increasing complexity and reach of information and by a rapidly growing user population. Because of these developments, average authors of electronically published documents have little expert knowledge about how to create well-designed charts. Authors are also confronted with considerable individual differences among remote recipients in culture, social life, education, psychology and physiology. In order to compensate for these differences it is necessary to integrate the interpretation and interaction abilities of individual users into future editing and presentation systems. We are developing a chart editing and presentation system which generates critiques and suggestions for authors and recipients on request. These critiques are based on individual user models and on expert knowledge in chart editing. Critiques are generated on user request depending on the state of a chart. The system helps authors to avoid commonly made mistakes. It empowers recipients to adapt chart parameters (e.g., colors, font size) to their individual abilities, disabilities and preferences.