User interface modeling: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:42, 14 November 2011

Revision as of 06:43, 14 November 2011

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'''User Interfaceinterface Modelingmodeling''' is a development technique used by computer application programmers. Today's Useruser Interfacesinterfaces (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 '''Useruser Interfaceinterface Modeling'modeling'' is mostly used in an [[information technology]] context. A [[user interface]] [[model (abstract)|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].

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There exist several approaches to modeling a user interface.

===Usage-Centeredcentered design===

{{main|usage-centered design}}

In usage-centered design, the modeling task is to show how the actual presentation of a planned system and how the user interaction is supposed to happen. This is probably the most praised approach, and it has been used successfully on a variety of small and large-scale projects. Its strengths are in complex problems.