Linking GUI elements to tasks: supporting an evolutionary design process

ABSTRACT

In this paper we discuss an approach for linking GUI specifications to more abstract dialogue models and supporting an evolutionary design process. These specifications are linked to task models describing behavioural characteristics. First prototypes of interactive systems are interactively generated. The automatically generated XUL specifications are refined using a GUI editor, which allows replacing of user interface elements by other elements or components. Components are predesigned parts of user interfaces, and could optionally be parameterised. This enables us to support GUI design using patterns.For illustration we are going to show a design cycle from task model to abstract user interfaces and finally to a concrete user interface. The design process is supported by patterns.Additionally, a proposal is presented of how to keep connections between concrete user interface (CUI), abstract user interface (AUI) and a task model. These connections can be used to propagate changes in a task model or an AUI only to affected parts of a CUI, instead of recreating the whole CUI after a modification has been done.In this paper we primarily focus on deletion, moving and adding tasks to an AUI and the implication of these procedures to a CUI. More complicated problems like splitting or merging of tasks are not addressed in this paper.The avoiding of unnecessary recreation processes for a CUI can reduce the amount of time and work needed in model-driven software development.

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INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
GUI, HCI, XIML, XUL, model-based design, object models, patterns, task models