Inhabitant-Centered Interaction Technology for Future Homes

Abstract

The technology is available to construct technology-intensive homes that are environmentally friendly and have many functions controlled by networked systems. For the benefits of the technology to be realized, the homes must be designed to support human interactions. The authors review characteristics of smart homes and high-performance buildings with an emphasis on issues concerning human interactions with technologies. Inhabitant-centered design recommendations are described, including incorporating inhabitants’ living behaviors into the design process; providing universal accessibility; linking devices, appliances, and functions with “meaningful” connections; using simple forms of human-technology interaction; and presenting integrated information for multiple environmental variables in addition to information about the individual variables.