Using formal specifications in the design of a human-computer interface

Jacob, Robert J. K.

doi:10.1145/800049.801802

Cited by 39 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…Foley and Wallace (1974) also used the finite state machine formalism to develop a language for human-computer interaction. Jacob (1983) used the same formalism for designing specifications for user interaction with a complex communication system (1986), later extending the approach to model direct manipulation of user interfaces (cf. Wasserman, 1985).…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling and Formal Analysis of Human-Machine Interaction

Heymann

Degani²,

Shafto

2013

Oxford Handbooks Online

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We describe a formal, model-based, approach for the analysis and design of human-automation interaction. The approach is guided by two primary objectives: first, that the interaction be correct in the sense that it will enable the user to operate the system reliably; second, that the interaction be as simple as possible while maintaining all the required operational flexibility. With these objectives we first discuss a methodology for verification of user-interface correctness, thereby addressing the issue of operational reliability, and then present an algorithmic approach for designing simple and succinct interfaces.

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling and Formal Analysis of Human-Machine Interaction

Heymann

Degani²,

Shafto

2013

Oxford Handbooks Online

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“…tations came in the mid-1980s however, with work by Jacob [6] and Wasserman [7]. More recently, the system SCENARIO0 has been developed [8].…”

Section: Formal Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A grammatical specification of human-computer dialogue

Nymeyer

1995

Computer Languages

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Abstract-TheSeeheim Model of humancomputer interaction partitions an interactive application into a user-interface, a dialogue controller and the application itself. One of the formal techniques of implementing the dialogue controller is based on context-free grammars and automata. In this work, we modify an off-the-shelf compiler generator (YACC) to generate the dialogue controller. The dialogue controller is then integrated into the popular X-window system, to create an interactive-application generator.

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“…Specifications based on state transition diagrams are most suitable for describing interactive human-computer interfaces largely because they represent time sequence explicitly, in contrast to BNF, in partitular, where it is implicit [12]. The state transition model has also been found useful in describing a user's mental model of an interactive computer system [4,IS].…”

Section: Overview Of the Speci~tion Techniquementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The present technique is based on the state transition diagrams introduced in [12] and has been refined based on experience applying it to a message system. It is an attempt to synthesize the most useful features of previous notations and to permit an interpreter to execute the specification.…”

Section: Ch1'83 Proceedings December 1983mentioning

confidence: 99%

Executable specifications for a human-computer interface

Jacob

1983

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - CHI '83

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It is useful to be able to specify a proposed human-computer interface formally before building it, particularly if a mockup suitable for testing can be obtained directly from the specification. A specification technique for user interfaces, based on state transition diagrams, is introduced and then demonstrated for a secure message system application. An interpreter that executes the resulting specification ~s then described. Some problems that arise in specifying a user interface are addressed by particular features of the technique: To reduce the complexity of the developer's task, a user interface is divided into the semantic, syntactic, and lexical levels, and a separate executable specification is provided for each. A process of stepwise refinement of the syntactic specification, leading from an informal specification to an executable one is also presented. Since the state diagram notation is based on a nondeterministic model, constraints necessary to realize the system with a deterministic interpreter are given.Writing a formal specification of the user interface of a computer system before building it permits the interface designer to consider a variety of possible user interfaces and describe them precisely and compactly without actually having to code them. It also permits the application of human performance models to the specifications to obtain information about the user interfaces they describe before building them [1,15]. The specifications can be checked for certain undesirable properties of the user interface, such as almost-alike states [14], interactive deadlock [4], and character-level ambiguity [18]. Further benefits accrue if a prototype or mockup of the user interface of the proposed system can be constructed directly from the specification. Problems with the proposed user interface can then be identified early in the design process, when they are easier to fix. While many prcspective users will f_nd a formal specification of a proposed system difficult to understand, they will have much less trouble evaluating a mockup system and identifying deficiencies in its user interface, both through informal demonstrations and formal experiPermission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the ACM copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Association for Computing Machinery. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or specific permission.© 1983 ACM 0'89791-121-0/83/012/0028 $00.75 ments.This paper describes a specification technique for user-computer interfaces and its use in the development of a secure military message system. The specifications are executed interpretively to provide a working prototype of the system. The paper describes the specification technique by means of an example. Then, it shows the decomposition of both the design process and the specification itself into the semantic, ...

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Using formal specifications in the design of a human-computer interface

Cited by 39 publications

References 10 publications

Modeling and Formal Analysis of Human-Machine Interaction

Modeling and Formal Analysis of Human-Machine Interaction

A grammatical specification of human-computer dialogue

Executable specifications for a human-computer interface

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