Extending the User Action Notation (UAN) for Specifying Interfaces with Multiple Input Devices and Parallel Path Structure.
Abstract
Many modern computer applications provide the user with a choice of several different methods of completing the same task. These options are afforded the user by the implementation of multiple input devices (e.g., a mouse and a keyboard) and keyboard shortcuts, or hot keys, into the interface. Although these options can be described by current interface specification methods, there is a need for a notation that can clearly represent this type of interface design in a meaningful format. A survey of formal specification methods was conducted in an attempt to identify' a method which captured these elements of the human- computer interface. The User Action Notation UAN) shows promise for illustrating these options and providing an analytical tool for interfaces with this type of parallel structure. A graphing task from a DOS application called SigmaPlot TM is then specified in UAN. During this process, structural modifications to the standard UAN format are made, and new symbols are added to the existing repertoire in an effort to augment the notation's analytical strengths. The modifications prove to clarify the specification of interfaces with multiple input devices and allow the reader of the specification to make meaningful comparisons of alternative methods for completing a specified task. These modifications are documented, and their benefits are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 12, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA294405
Entities
People
- Derek P. Brock Jr.
- Lynn A. Dievendorf Jr.
- Robert J. Jacob
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory