Publication statistics

Pub. period:1986-1987
Pub. count:4
Number of co-authors:0

 
 
May 19

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Heather Alexander

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Publications by Heather Alexander (bibliography)

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1987
 
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Alexander, Heather (1987): Formally-Based Techniques for Dialogue Design. In: Carroll, John M. and Tanner, Peter P. (eds.) Proceedings of the ACM CHI 87 Human Factors in Computing Systems Conference April 5-9, 1987, Toronto, Canada. pp. 201-213.

This paper presents techniques from software engineering to allow software developers to formalise and prototype user interface designs. User-system dialogues are decomposed into primitive steps called events, and are designed in two stages: first, the overall structure is outlined using CSP; second, the individual events which make up that dialogue structure are specified. Both specifications produced are formal and both can be executed immediately. Executing the CSP outline of events provides a simulation of the intended dialogue; adding the event specifications enables a more realistic prototype of the dialogue. The languages have been implemented both in a functional specification framework, providing executable formal specifications, and in C, for implementing the specifications.

© All rights reserved Alexander and/or ACM Press

 
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Alexander, Heather (1987): Executable Specifications as an Aid to Dialogue Design. In: Bullinger, Hans-Jorg and Shackel, Brian (eds.) INTERACT 87 - 2nd IFIP International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction September 1-4, 1987, Stuttgart, Germany. pp. 739-744.

Designing the user interface is still an experimental craft, primarily because it is difficult to be precise and objective about what constitutes a "good" design. Consequently, interface designers need to be able to experiment with different ideas, subjecting those ideas to user evaluation at an early stage in the process. This paper uses techniques from software engineering to formalise and prototype user interface designs.

© All rights reserved Alexander and/or North-Holland

 
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Alexander, Heather (1987): Formally-Based Techniques for Dialogue Design. In: Diaper, Dan and Winder, Russel (eds.) Proceedings of the Third Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers III August 7-11, 1987, University of Exeter, UK. pp. 201-213.

This paper presents techniques from software engineering to allow software developers to formalise and prototype user interface designs. User-system dialogues are decomposed into primitive steps called events, and are designed in two stages: first, the overall structure is outlined using CSP; second, the individual events which make up that dialogue structure are specified. Both specifications produced are formal and both can be executed immediately. Executing the CSP outline of events provides a simulation of the intended dialogue; adding the event specifications enables a more realistic prototype of the dialogue. The languages have been implemented both in a functional specification framework, providing executable formal specifications, and in C, for implementing the specifications.

© All rights reserved Alexander and/or Cambridge University Press

1986
 
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Alexander, Heather (1986): ECS -- A Technique for the Formal Specification and Rapid Prototyping of Human-Computer Interaction. In: Harrison, Michael D. and Monk, Andrew (eds.) Proceedings of the Second Conference of the British Computer Society Human Computer Interaction Specialist Group - People and Computers II August 23-26, 1986, University of York, UK. pp. 157-179.

Increasingly, formal specification and rapid prototyping are recommended as techniques to be used in developing software. In particular they are appropriate when developing user interfaces, given the increased demand for sophisticated interactive software and the difficulty of producing it. Formally specifying the user interface allows the designer to reason about its properties in the light of the many guidelines on the subject. Early availability of prototypes of the user interface allows the designer to experiment with alternative options and to elicit feedback from potential users. This paper reports an extension to an existing formal specification and prototyping method, called me too, to handle the interaction required for an application.

© All rights reserved Alexander and/or Cambridge University Press

 
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Changes to this page (author)

14 Feb 2010: Modified
28 Apr 2003: Added

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Publication statistics

Pub. period:1986-1987
Pub. count:4
Number of co-authors:0

 
 
May 19

Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.

-- Paul Rand, 1997

 
 

Featured chapter

Read the fascinating history of Wearable Computing, told by its father, Steve Mann

Read Steve's chapter !

 
 

Help us help you!