ToolkitClassification

Introduction

This repository represents the database used for the classification of toolkits for prototyping interactive and ubiquitous electronic devices. Contributions are greatly appriciated and can be done by making pull requests. We will continue to improve this database so making changes will be more convenient. Currently you will have to follow a strict JSON structure.

Abstract

Over the past fifteen years or so, many toolkits for prototyping interactive and ubiquitous electronic devices have been developed.Although their technical specifications are often easy to look up, they vary greatly in terms of design, features and target audience,resulting in very real strengths and weaknesses depending on the intended application. These less technical characteristics are oftenreported inconsistently, if at all. In this paper we provide a comprehensive survey of interactive and ubiquitous device prototypingtoolkits, systematically analysing their characteristics within the framework of a new taxonomy that we present. In addition to the specificcharacteristics we cover, we introduce a way to evaluate toolkits more holistically, covering user needs such as ‘ease of construction’ and‘ease of moving from prototype to product’ rather than features. We also present results from an online survey which offers new insightson how different users prioritize these characteristics during prototyping, and what techniques they use to move beyond prototyping. Wehope our analysis will be valuable for others in the community who need to build and potentially scale out prototypes as part of theirresearch. We end by identifying gaps that have not yet been addressed by existing offerings and discuss opportunities for future researchinto prototyping toolkits.

ACM link: to be added soon

Affiliations

• MANNU LAMBRICHTS, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
• RAF RAMAKERS, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
• STEVE HODGES, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• SVEN COPPERS, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
• JAMES DEVINE, Microsoft Research, Cambridge, United Kingdom

ToDO

This database is still an ongoing project. Some things that still need to be done:

• Database improvements (structure, content, filenames)
• UI improvements
• Code cleanup

Used libraries

This database is still an ongoing project. Some things that still need to be done:

• Bootstrap: https://getbootstrap.com/
• JQuery: https://jquery.com/
• JQuery tablesorter: https://mottie.github.io/tablesorter/docs/