The 2GCHAS: A high productivity software development environment

To the user, the most visible feature of the Transportable Applications Executive (TAE) is its very powerful user interface. To the programmer, TAE's user interface, proc concept, standardized interface definitions, and hierarchy search provide a set of tools for rapidly prototyping or developing production software. The 2GCHAS (Second Generation Comprehensive Helicopter Analysis System) project has extended and enhanced these mechanisms, creating a powerful and high productivity programming environment where the 2GCHAS development environment is 2GCHAS itself and where a sustained rate for certified, documented, and tested software above 30 delivered source instructions per programmer day has been achieved. The 2GCHAS environment is not limited to helicopter analysis, but is applicable to other disciplines where software development is important

A software toolkit for web-based virtual environments based on a shared database

We propose a software toolkit for developing complex web-based user interfaces, incorporating such things as multi-user facilities, virtual environments (VEs), and interface agents. The toolkit is based on a novel software architecture that combines ideas from multi-agent platforms and user interface (UI) architectures. It provides a distributed shared database with publish-subscribe facilities. This enables UI components to observe the state and activities of any other components in the system easily. The system runs in a web-based environment. The toolkit is comprised of several programming and other specification languages, providing a complete suite of systems design languages. We illustrate the toolkit by means of a couple of examples

Using formal models to design user interfaces a case study

The use of formal models for user interface design can provide a number of benefits. It can help to ensure consistency across designs for multiple platforms, prove properties such as reachability and completeness and, perhaps most importantly, can help incorporate the user interface design process into a larger, formally-based, software development process. Often, descriptions of such models and examples are presented in isolation from real-world practice in order to focus on particular benefits, small focused examples or the general methodology. This paper presents a case study of developing the user interface to a new software application using a particular pair of formal models, presentation models and presentation interaction models. The aim of this study was to practically apply the use of formal models to the design process of a UI for a new software application. We wanted to determine how easy it would be to integrate such models into our usual development process and to find out what the benefits, and difficulties, of using such models were. We will show how we used the formal models within a user-centred design process, discuss what effect they had on this process and explain what benefits we perceived from their use

Digital library access for illiterate users

The problems that illiteracy poses in accessing information are gaining attention from the research community. Issues currently being explored include developing an understanding of the barriers to information acquisition experienced by different groups of illiterate information seekers; creating technology, such as software interfaces, that support illiterate users effectively; and tailoring content to increase its accessibility. We have taken a formative evaluation approach to developing and evaluating a digital library interface for illiterate users. We discuss modifications to the Greenstone platform, describe user studies and outline resulting design implications

An approach for interactive educational software in a classroom setting

This paper presents a systematic set of activities related to the ergonomic analysis process of interactive educational software in a classroom setting. It uses the User Interface Design (1991-1999 Interface Systems International) with the aim of developing an ergonomic model for Human Computer Interaction (HCI) in the context of interactive educational software. The model should be adaptable to any kind of user and evolutive, i.e., the model should be able to switch to more advanced concepts once the user has learned the previous ones

GUI generation based on language extensions: a model to generate GUI, based on source code with custom attributes

Due to data-driven application nature and its increasing complexity, developing its user interface can be a repetitive and time-consuming activity. Consequently, developers tend to focus more on the user interface aspects and less on business related code. In this paper, we’re presenting an alternative approach to graphical user interface development for data-driven applications, that allows developers to refocus on the source code and concentrate their efforts on application core logic. The key concept behind our approach is the generation of concrete graphical user interface from a source code based model, which includes the original source code metadata and non-intrusive declarative language extensions that describes the user interface structure. Concrete user interface implementation will be delegated to specialized software packages, developed by external entities, that provides complete graphical user interfaces services to the application. When applying our approach, we’re expecting faster graphical user interface development

The development of a computer human interface using touch input for point of sale applications : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology in Product Development at Massey University

This project developed a touch screen interface for a new generation EFTPOS sales terminal at the fuel pump in a service station. Scenario plans and creative observation of consumers and analysis of their expressed needs, wants, and requirements were developed within the context of the client's specifications. This enabled the production of a physical and graphical user interface that provided initial appeal, ease of learning, high speed of user task performance, low user error rate, subjective user satisfaction, and user retention over time. Using multimedia computer software as a rapid prototyping tool enabled realistic feedback to be obtained early in the development stages and facilitated the modification of prototypes to minimise the barriers to potential consumer acceptance. The designer was able to effectively communicate the goals and details of the product to the team implementing the design using flow charts and diagrams to define the structure and content of the interface. The process used to develop the interface was compared with published product development techniques that incorporated consumer testing checkpoints throughout the discrete phases of product creation. It was determined that the generic processes were useful in practice, but only if the checkpoints were chosen appropriately and the tests customised for the developing product. Testing at fixed stages in the design process was found to be detrimental to the project. Putting excessive emphasis on the testing of the product curbed creativity by removing valid solutions before they could be investigated fully. The touch screen interface developed will be used to lead customers through fuel deliveries, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) transactions, and the purchase of other service station related products and services. The interface allows incorporation of advertising and customisation for use in other countries, meets the company's specifications, and has polled well in consumer tests when incorporated in a simulated mounting

User's guide to programming fault injection and data acquisition in the SIFT environment

Described are the features, command language, and functional design of the SIFT (Software Implemented Fault Tolerance) fault injection and data acquisition interface software. The document is also intended to assist and guide the SIFT user in defining, developing, and executing SIFT fault injection experiments and the subsequent collection and reduction of that fault injection data. It is also intended to be used in conjunction with the SIFT User's Guide (NASA Technical Memorandum 86289) for reference to SIFT system commands, procedures and functions, and overall guidance in SIFT system programming