It is defined the informatics application interface concept and it is presented the role of this one in software using. There are pointed out the interface characteristics and the factors which lead to their efficiency. The software interfaces are classified on the base of many criteria. There are defined evaluation indicators for interface complexity that build the picture regarding operation facility of informatics application and their adaptation to new problem requirements.complexity, interface, entity

Cristian Toma

Ion Ivan

Saha Priyatosh

English

Research Papers in Economics

Entity Complexity of Informatics Application Interface Type  
 
Ion IVAN 
Marius POPA 
Economic Informatics Department 
Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest, Romania 
Saha PRIYATOSH 
PhD student, Bangladesh 
 
Abstract: It is defined the informatics application interface concept and it is presented the role of this one 
in software using. There are pointed out the interface characteristics and the factors which lead to their 
efficiency. The software interfaces are classified on the base  of many criteria. There are defined 
evaluation indicators for interface complexity that build the picture regarding operation facility of 
informatics application and their adaptation to new problem requirements.  
Keywords: complexity, interface, entity. 
 
 
1. Informatics Application Interfaces  
 
Informatics application interface represents the means through whose the user operates the resources of a 
computer. From the structural point of view, the software interface is formed by text, graphic symbols and 
multimedia elements.  
Through interface there are made the following operations: 
-  Data gathering introduced by user in order to be processed; 
-  Information displaying in order to be analyzed by user in different forms: text, charts, sound, 
animations; 
-  Action transmission to the computing resources trigged by user. 
Software and hardware generation evolution lead to many stages of software interfaces development. For 
classic informatics applications, the interface structure is based on defined requirements. For modern 
informatics applications, the complexity of implemented requirements and used technologies caused the 
radical modification of interface structure and functions. 
Having in mind the complexity increasing of the problems that must be resolved, technology  and 
hardware evolution, it is necessary re-structure the design activity of software interfaces such as the 
maximum level of efficiency will be got. 
The interface efficiency is determined through evaluation metric system for interface quality 
characteristics. Also, interface testing and validation for users with heterogeneous informatics background 
lead to conclusions regarding the interface efficiency. 
Complexity increasing of the problems resolved with computer determines the complexity increasing of 
the interfaces used in informatics application developed for this end. The interface efficiency increasing 
supposes simple use of this one. The key factor in order to reach this objective is repetitive operation 
number reducing. 
Another increasing factor of the interface efficiency is feedback supplying by the system when an user 
makes an action. The feedback has the error message form or admonition sound. 
The action sequences must be organized in groups structured in parts: start, middle and end. The user 
must have the satisfaction of operation ending trigged by him and to get the traced result. Also, the users 
must control the system. Thus, the system has to respond to the actions trigged by user. 
 
 
2. Interfaces classification  
 There are many criteria for interface classification. 
For homogenous criteria, it builds: 
-  interfaces targeted on homogenous groups – the objective is the same for all the members of 
the collectivity;  through concepts, principles, techniques and methods specific to target group are 
presented; 
-  interfaces that are addressed to heterogeneous groups –  the student collectivity from an 
university is characterized by the following elements: 
•  high level comprehension degree; 
•  large problem diversity. 
Within collectivity, there are identified student groups depending on interest fields: social, human and 
technique sciences, medicine etc. The interface of an informatics application for student’s assistance in 
order to get knowledge comprises heterogeneous information from the point of view of content.    
Depending on criteria, the following interface types are identified: 
-  interfaces that consider the color combinations, picture dimensions, position of theses ones on 
display – the interfaces of this type trace user’s attention catching to the aspect with big importance that 
must be considered in application using; 
-  interfaces that consider only functional aspects – the informatics application that have this 
characteristic are extremely specialized in operation execution.  
According with used means criteria, the following interface types are distinguished: 
-  text interfaces – suppose character using exclusively; it is necessary that the user to have 
knowledge regarding the standard character combinations used in application management; Also, a help 
tool is offered to the user where standard character sequences are found; 
-  graphic interface – represent an evolution of text based interfaces and they appeared as a 
result of advanced operating system development, with graphic facilities and available to very large user 
categories; this kind of interfaces suppose graphic symbols use associated with color tones in order to 
catch the user’s attention; also, the building way of the interfaces is standardized from the point of view 
of functionality;    
-  mixed interfaces – they are combinations between text interfaces and graphic interfaces; a 
mixed interface contain graphic elements that include text; there are many types of graphic elements, 
called controls in programming activity: edit fields, text fields, check and radio buttons lists etc; 
-  multimedia interfaces – represents the actual stage in interface evolution; they are mixed 
interfaces to whom animated graphic elements, sound and video records were added. 
From the point of view of content, the interfaces are: 
-  static – are characterized by a content which is not changeable in time, the validity and 
opportunity being a long term one; this kind of interface needs a small effort to update the content; 
-  dynamic – are interfaces with a content modifiable in time through:  
•  opportunity decreasing of the represented information; 
•  interactive character of the interface: user’s possibilities to request, add and modify data. 
If the used equipments are considered, then there are identified interfaces for:  
-  desktop computers – they are classical computing systems; the peripheral output equipments 
have the biggest representation surface of interfaces, an important thing for complex applications; 
-  mobile phone – it represents a voice communication device through communication standard 
implementation: GSM, CDMA etc; 
-  PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) equipments – they represent mobile devices with similar 
functions with a computer, having a small processing power; 
-  portable computers – they are computing systems with a small dimensions and weight; they 
have the mobility characteristic; they transform into desktop computer when they are connected to 
electrical network and to Internet through cable connection. 
Depending of continuity criteria, there are: -  various interfaces – new interface design and implementation don’t take into consideration 
the old versions; the new interface has a new configuration; 
-  continuous interfaces – new interface design and implementation are made on the base of old 
interface; intuitively, the user identifies the  functional elements relying on what he knew about old 
version. 
Depending on interaction with user, the interfaces are: 
-  command language –  the user formulates a request, introducing standards strings called 
commands; 
-  menu – the user has the possibility to choose from more variants the version which assures to 
him the objective achievement; 
-  with pre-establish format – the user is forced to introduce the data requested by the system in 
asked form; 
-  wizard assistants – they are applications that help user to accomplish some operations; the 
wizard assistant is an interface succession in which the user choose and introduce data. 
Depending on complexity, the interfaces are classified in: 
-  complex interfaces – they include a big number of text and graphical elements; there are 
situations in which user’s request satisfying supposes introduction of a big data volume; also, the complex 
interfaces are useful when user needs information represented in different forms in order to assist decision 
efficiently; 
-  simple interfaces – they are interfaces that contains a small number of graphical, multimedia 
and text elements; they are useful when some resources are insufficient or it aims at information 
representation on a high abstract level. 
Design and implementation lead to interface classification as: 
-  interfaces developed through source code – they suppose use on a programming language for 
design and functionality assurance of an interface; 
-  interfaces developed through assistance – they suppose use of an Integrated Development 
Environment which contains standard controls; 
-  interfaces generated automatically – in an assistance application for system design, the user 
supplies details regarding the input and output data, and application generates interfaces on the basis of 
some standard templates. 
Depending on design of information representation zones, the interfaces are: 
-  structured  –  there are zones on the display in which information are homogenous for a 
characteristic; 
-  non-structured – the interface includes controls and information content arranged randomly. 
There is a large diversity of interfaces, classified depending on their characteristics. The informatics 
application development supposes design and implementation of user interfaces. The developed interface 
must take into consideration the application objective and it is a part in many classes simultaneously, 
depending on characteristics that it accomplishes. 
 
 
3. Interface complexity  
 
Complexity represents the measure in which a system or a component has a architecture or 
implementation that are hard to be understood and verified, [www]. 
The complexity level of interfaces is determined by the fallowing aspects: 
-  the terminal equipments diversity; 
-  application complexity; 
-  word diversity in dialog vocabulary; 
-  speed restrictions for exchange of information development. 
Interface complexity regards not only element nature and the links among them but also the volume and 
difficulty of numerical quantification for interface components, [POPA05]. Informatics complexity and processing kind made by these ones determine an arborescent organization of 
the interfaces.  
The elements number on each level, the height of structure tree, the number of connected elements are 
primary metrics that contributes to evaluation of structural complexity  of informatics application 
interface. 
The Solidity and confidence in an interface are determined on the base of ciclomatic complexity, CxCI: 
 
CxCI = m – n + p 
 
where: 
m – edge number of the graph associated to interface structure; the graph edges represents the links 
among the elements within interface structure; 
n – element number from interface structure; the application interface is formed from a sub-interfaces 
order; the interface activation occurs when the user trigs an action of certain type in parent interface; 
p – virtual edge number; the virtual edge shows a direct modification of the sub-interfaces at content 
level. 
It is considered the following rface structure : 
 
   
Figure 1 Application interface structure  
 
Regarding the structure depicted in figure 1, it has m = 10 edges, n = 7 sub-interfaces and p = 1 virtual 
edges. Ciclomatic complexity calculation lead to value CxCI = 4. The indicator value of CxCI frames the 
interface from figure 1 in complexity class A with meaning: simple interface, with a low level of 
complexity. This interface has not high risks when it aims the changing in maintenance. 
If it considers the application interface complexity at content level, then it must have in view the 
following elements: 
-  base control number used to build the interface, ncb; 
-  relations among controls in terms of link control number, ncl; 
-  link control number among interfaces, ncs. 
The analytical expression of the model on the base of which it determines the complexity measure is: 
 
Cx(DT) = ncb · log2 ncb + ncl · log2 ncl + ncs ·log2 ncs 
 
The complexity measuring of the relations among sub-interfaces takes place on the base of precedence 
matrix called MP. Through precedence matrix the dependence, ordering and arrangement of the interfaces 
are highlighted. 
For the structure given in figure 1, the precedence matrix is: 
Table no. 1 The Precedence matrix of interface structure  
 
                  Next sub-interface 
 
1  2  3  4  5  6  7 Precedence sub- interface 
1  0  1  0  0  0  0  0 
2  0  0  1  1  0  1  0 
3  0  0  0  0  0  1  1 
4  0  0  0  0  1  1  0 
5  0  0  0  0  0  0  1 
6  0  0  0  0  0  0  1 
7  0  0  0  0  0  0  0 
 
The complexity has the following analytical expression: 
 
∑ ∑ ∑
= = =
=
ns
i
ns
j
ij
ns
j
ij M m m Cx
1 1
2
1
)) ( log ) ((  
 
where: 
ns – sub-interface number from interface structure; 
mij – the element on i row, j column in precedence matrix. 
For given matrix, the indicator value is CxM =  8,47. 
Application interfaces complexity calculation offers important information regarding the operating 
easiness with informatics application, and maintenance easiness of these ones. 
 
 
4. Conclusions  
 
The application interfaces are integrant entities in computing resources exploitation by any use. The 
efficient use of these resources is the result of the interfaces well designed and implemented. 
The interface complexity is determined on more levels. Complexity evaluation metrics were defined. The 
computed values permit the obtaining of conclusions regarding the interfaces quality, using easiness and 
the maintenance of these ones. 
 
 
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E-Commerce Project Management Implementation

http://www.rebe.rau.ro/RePEc/rau/jisomg/WI07/JISOM-WI07-A6.pdf

E-Commerce Project Management Implementation

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