User Interface Modeling
Encyclopedia
User interface modeling is a development technique used by computer application programmers. Today's user interfaces (UIs) are complex software components, which play an essential role in the usability of an application. The development of UIs requires therefore, not only guidelines and best practice reports, but also a development process including the elaboration of visual models and a standardized notation for this visualization.
The term user interface modeling is mostly used in an information technology
context. A user interface
model is a representation of how the end user(s) interact with a computer program or another device and also how the system responds. The modeling task is then to show all the "directly experienced aspects of a thing or device" [Trætteberg2002].
Modeling user interfaces is a well-established discipline in its own right. For example, modeling techniques can describe interaction objects, tasks, and lower-level dialogs in user interfaces. Using models as part of user interface development can help capture user requirements, avoid premature commitment to specific layouts and widgets, and make the relationships between an interface’s different parts and their roles explicit. [SilvaPaton2003].
. However, the language is not mainly intended for this kind of modeling, which may render the models somewhat synthetic.
, and adds support for representation commonly occurring in user interfaces.
Because application models in UML describe few aspects of user interfaces,
and because the model-based user interface development environments (MB-UIDE)
lack ability for modeling applications, the University of Manchester started the research project UMLi in 1998.
UMLi aims to address this problem of designing and implementing user interfaces using a combination of UML
and MB-UIDE.
The term user interface modeling is mostly used in an information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
context. A user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
model is a representation of how the end user(s) interact with a computer program or another device and also how the system responds. The modeling task is then to show all the "directly experienced aspects of a thing or device" [Trætteberg2002].
Modeling user interfaces is a well-established discipline in its own right. For example, modeling techniques can describe interaction objects, tasks, and lower-level dialogs in user interfaces. Using models as part of user interface development can help capture user requirements, avoid premature commitment to specific layouts and widgets, and make the relationships between an interface’s different parts and their roles explicit. [SilvaPaton2003].
UML
Some aspects of user interface modeling can be realized using UMLUnified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
. However, the language is not mainly intended for this kind of modeling, which may render the models somewhat synthetic.
UMLi
UMLi is an extension of UMLUnified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
, and adds support for representation commonly occurring in user interfaces.
Because application models in UML describe few aspects of user interfaces,
and because the model-based user interface development environments (MB-UIDE)
lack ability for modeling applications, the University of Manchester started the research project UMLi in 1998.
UMLi aims to address this problem of designing and implementing user interfaces using a combination of UML
Unified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
and MB-UIDE.
DiaMODL
DiaMODL combines a dataflow-oriented language (Pisa interactor abstraction) with UML Statecharts which has focus on behavior. It is capable of modeling the dataflow as well as the behavior of interaction objects. It may be used for documenting the function and structure of concrete user interfaces.Himalia
Himalia combines the Hypermedia Models with the control/composite paradigm. It is a full user interface language, it may be used for specifying but also for running it, because of this the designer tool can categorized as a guilder.http://www.himalia.netModel types
The different aspects of a user interface requires different model types. Some of the models that may be considered for UI-modeling are:- Domain modelDomain modelA domain model in problem solving and software engineering can be thought of as a conceptual model of a domain of interest which describes the various entities, their attributes, roles and relationships, plus the constraints that govern the integrity of the model elements comprising that problem...
, including data model (defines the objects that a user can view, access and manipulate through the user interface) - Navigation model, defines how the objects that a user view could be navigated through the user interface
- Task model. (describes the tasks an end user performs and dictates what interaction capabilities must be designed)
- User modelUser modelUser model may refer to:*User Interface Modeling*Standard user model-See also:*Adaptive hypermedia*Web Personalisation* User modeling* User profile...
(represents the different characteristics of end users and the roles they are playing within the organization) - Platform model (used to model the physical devices that are intended to host the application and how they interact with each other)
- Dialogue model (how users can interact with the objects presentation (as push buttons, commands, etc), with interaction media (as voice input, touch screen, etc) and
the reactions that the user interface communicates via these objects) - Presentation model (application appearance, representation of the visual, haptic and auditory elements that the user interface offers to its users)
- Application model (commands and data the application provides)
UML can be used for several of the models mentioned above with varying degree of success, but it lacks support for user modeling, platform modeling and presentation model.