Construction and Design Kits: Human Problem-Domain Communication

Abstract

Our goal is to build cooperative computer systems to augment human intelligence. In these systems the communication between the user and the computer plays a crucial role. Knowledge-based systems make special demands on human-computer communication, but they also provide new unique opportunities to enhance this communication. To provide the user with the appropriate level of control and a better understanding, we have to replace human-computer communication with human problem-domain communication, which allows users to concentrate on the problems of their domain and to ignore the fact that they are using a computer tool. Construction and design Kits are system components that represent steps towards human problem-domain communication. A construction kit is a set of building blocks that models a problem domain. The building blocks define a design space (the set of all possible designs that can be created by combining these blocks). Design kits go beyond construction kits in that they bring to bear general knowledge about design (e.g., which meaningful artifacts can be constructed, how and which blocks can be combined with each other) that is useful for the designer. Prototypical examples of these systems (especially in the area of user interface design) are described in detail and the feasibility of this approach is evaluated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA462124

Entities

People

  • Andreas C. Lemke
  • Gerhard Fischer

Organizations

  • University of Colorado Boulder

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Cognitive Systems Engineering
  • Computer Communications
  • Computers
  • Construction
  • Contracts
  • Human Intelligence
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Information Operations
  • Knowledge Based Systems
  • Military Research
  • Security
  • User Interface
  • User Interface Engineering

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Software Engineering
  • Software Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Space