Chapter 6 - Highlight: End user re-authoring of existing Web sites

Today's Web pages provide many useful features, but unfortunately nearly all are designed first and foremost for the desktop form factor. At the same time, the number of mobile devices with different form factors and unique input and output facilities is growing substantially. The Highlight "re-authoring" environment addresses these problems by allowing users to start with sites they already use and create mobile versions that are customized to their tasks and mobile devices. This re-authoring is accomplished through a combination of demonstrating desired interactions with an existing Web site and directly specifying content to be included on mobile pages. The re-authored Web sites can be deployed to mobile devices through a new server-side architecture that makes use of a remote control metaphor in which the mobile device controls a fully functional browser that is embedded within a proxy server. The system has been tested successfully with a variety of existing sites. A small study suggests that novice users may be able to use the system to create useful mobile applications.