DiRec: A distributed user interface video recommender

Distributed User Interfaces (DUIs) are graphical interfaces whose components are distributed in one or many of the UI distribution dimensions: Time, space, platforms, displays, or users. In this work, we have investigated the impact of the application of DUIs, with respect to the different DUI dimensions, on the experience of users of recommender systems. We developed two prototype video recommendation mobile applications: Monolithic Interface Recommender (MiRec), and Distributed Interface Recommender (DiRec). Sharing mostly the same interface, DiRec additionally offers the possibility of migrating parts of the UI between the mobile application and a larger display (LD). A user study was conducted in which participants used and evaluated both MiRec and DiRec. Our results show a significant difference between DiRec and MiRec in attractiveness (general impression and likability), stimulation, and novelty measures, which posits the existence of a strong interest in DUI recommender systems. Nonetheless, MiRec was found more easy-to-learn and easier to understand than DiRec which gives room for further investigation to pinpoint the reasons of DiRec's relatively lower perspicuity measures.