User interface specification

Abstract: MUSE is a method developed specifically to extend the scope of human factors contributions beyond late evaluation and thus increase their effectivness and uptake. This is accomplished by making inputs more explicit, early and continuous throughout the system development process. Since MUSE's scope spans user requirements to user interface design, it supports active human factors involvement in both design specification and evaluation. MUSE defines how, what and when particular human factor concerns should be addressed. It also specifies the procedures, notations, and documentation involved. This book will be essential reading for all involved with systems development, whether from the HCI or software engineering communities, and can be used as well for course accompaniment.

Abstract: The current generation of data flow based visual programming systems is all too often limited in application. It is our contention that data flow visual languages, to be more widely accepted for solving a broad range of problems, need to be more general in their syntax, semantics, translation schemes, computational model, execution methods and scheduling. These capabilities should be accompanied by a development environment that facilitates information processing extensions needed by the user to solve a wide range of application-specific problems. This paper addresses these issues by describing and critiquing the Khoros system implemented by the University of New Mexico, Khoros Group. The Khoros infrastructure consists of several layers of interacting subsystems. A user interface development system (UIDS) combines a high-level user interface specification with methods of software development that are embedded in a code generation tool set. The UIDS is used to create, install and maintain the fundamental operators for cantata, the visual programming language component of Khoros.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for preparing an interactive user-interface specification. The method is for use with a computer system including a processor, a memory, a display device and an input device. The method begins with the step of providing a data structure representing a control tree. The control tree represents the interface screens, screen objects and link-associations of the interface. The method further includes the step of presenting a representation of an element of the control tree based on the data structure. A system is also disclosed for implementing the steps of the method.

Abstract: Much recent research has been directed at the development of better tools to support the design, specification, implementation, and evaluation of human-computer dialogues. Such tools have been variously named “user interface management systems” (Kasik 1982; Buxton et al 1983), “dialogue management systems” (Roach et al 1982), and “abstract interaction handlers” (Feldman & Rodgers 1982). User interface management systems (UIMS’s) build upon concepts developed in earlier user interface specification and prototyping systems (Newman 1968; Mason & Carey 1 983). The state-of-the-art is now at the point where UIMS packages are becoming commercially available (Rubel Software 1983; Wasserman & Shewmake 1982; Woodmansee 1983).