A Hybrid Approach for Adapting Web Graphical User Interfaces to Multiple Devices using Information Retrieved from Context

Ubiquitous Computing has enabled users the easy access to services and applications from anywhere, at anytime, and using any device. In this scenario, software development presents a number of challenges, among them the need for adapting applications to different access devices. Each device has a set of specific capabilities, which difficult to build and maintain specialized versions of the application to run in each type of device (static adaptation). Despite the heterogeneity, these applications should operate in a compatible manner to the access device profile, preserving its characteristics so that user interaction is not compromised. From information taken out of context it is possible to adapt applications at execution time according to characteristics of the environment in which they operate (dynamic adaptation). In this sense, this paper presents an approach that combines static and dynamic code generation for adapting Web graphical user interfaces using information retrieved from context. A case study was developed to investigate the feasibility of the proposal. 1