Continuum: Seamless Switching Between Devices

Faculty: 
Gregory D. Abowd
Students: 
Joshua Yao, Xi Chen, Yizhou Liu

Cross-platform integration has been consistently on the rise and the push for ubiquity between apps over multiple devices has been enormous in the quest for offering a consistent user experience. However, as users begin collecting more and more technology artifacts, such as smartphones, computers, and smartwatches, the lines between when each one is used becomes muddled. Some devices are clearly better-suited for different tasks, such as a phone as a camera or controller, or a computer as a document editor. However, a single end-user task can cross-over multiple devices in the process of completing a single task. The jarring cognitive switch as a user jumps from computer to phone to whichever device can disrupt thinking, productivity, and be a source of frustration and confusion.

Continuum aims to dispel the barriers in switching between devices by offering a framework that allows users to access all their current applications from any device through application states saved in the cloud. Device providers can integrate Continuum into their devices to allow users to seamlessly switch between their devices without needing to remember what they were doing or reopen applications.

Lab: 

Any research projects that don't have a permanent lab affiliation with GVU and are participating in the GVU Center Research Showcase will display their projects here. These projects are by researchers who are partnering with GVU to showcase their work in people-centered computing or using computing technology to solve scientific, social and technical challenges.

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