Understanding In-Situ Programming for Smart Home Automation

Programming a smart home is an iterative process in which users configure and test the automation during the in-situ experience with IoT space. However, current end-user programming mechanisms are primarily preset configurations on GUI and fail to leverage in-situ behaviors and context. This paper proposed in-situ programming (ISP) as a novel programming paradigm for AIoT automation that extensively leverages users' natural in-situ interaction with the smart environment. We built a Wizard-of-Oz system and conducted a user-enactment study to explore users' behavior models in this paradigm. We identified a dynamic programming flow in which participants iteratively configure and confirm through query, control, edit, and test. We especially identified a novel method "snapshot" for automation configuration and a novel method "simulation" for automation testing, in which participants leverage ambient responses and in-situ interaction. Based on our findings, we proposed design spaces on dynamic programming flow, coherency and clarity of interface, and state and scene management to build an ideal in-situ programming experience.