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We introduce a UI specification tool that interactively integrates interdisciplinary and informal modelling languages with different fidelities of UI prototyping. Our innovative experimental tool, called INSPECTOR, is the first tool that assembles models and design into a UI specification with a zoom-based visualization approach.

User-Interface-(UI)-Spezifikationsprozesse involvieren unterschiedliche Akteure mit jeweils eigenen Ausdrucksmitteln. Dadurch ergeben sich Herausforderungen bei der Umsetzung von Anforderungen in gutes UI-Design. Durch einen Mangel an interdisziplinären und kollaborativen Methoden und Werkzeugen dominieren dabei vor allem textbasierte Spezifikationsdokumente. Diese reichen jedoch mangels Interaktivität nicht aus, um innovative und kreative Prozesse zu unterstützen. In diesem Beitrag stellen wir eine Spezifikationstechnik vor, mit der Benutzer-, Aufgaben- und Interaktionsmodelle mit unterschiedlich detailliertem UI-Design verbunden werden. Dadurch entsteht eine erlebbare UI-Simulation, die im Vergleich zu interaktiven UI-Prototypen zusätzlich den visuellen Drill-Down zu Artefakten der Anforderungsermittlung erlaubt. Das Resultat bezeichnen wir als interaktive UI-Spezifikation, mit der eine höhere Transparenz und Nachvollziehbarkeit im Spezifikationsprozess möglich ist.

When the user interface should be specified, a picture is worth a thou-sand words, and the worst thing to do is write a natural language specification for it. Although this practice is still common, it is a challenging task to move from text-based requirements and problem-space concepts to a final UI design, and then back. Especially for user interface specification, actors must frequently switch between high-level descriptions and low-level detailed screens. In our research we found out that advanced specifications should to be made up of interconnected artefacts that have distinct levels of abstraction. With regards to the transparency and traceability of the rationale of the specification process, transitions and dependencies must be visual and traversable. For this purpose, a user interface specification method is introduced that interactively integrates interdisciplinary and in-formal modelling languages with different levels of fidelity of user interface prototyping. With an innovative experimental tool, we finally assemble models and design to an interactive user interface specifications.

Specifying user interfaces consists in a fundamental activity in the user interface development life cycle as it informs the subsequent steps. Good quality specifications could lead to a user interface that satisfies the user s needs. The user interface development life cycle typically involves multiple ac-tors possessing all their own particular inputs of user interface artifacts ex-pressed with their own formats, thus posing new constraints for integrating them into comprehensive and consistent specifications of a future user interface. This paper introduces a design technique where these actors can introduce their artifacts by sketching them in their respective input format so as to integrate them into one or multiple output formats. Each artifact can be introduced in a particular level of fidelity (ranging from low to high) and switched to an adja-cent level of fidelity after appropriate refining. Refined artifacts are then cap-tured in appropriate models stored in a model repository. In this way, co-evolutionary design of user interfaces is introduced, defined, and supported by a collaborative design tool allowing multiple inputs and multiple outputs. This design paradigm is exemplified on a case study and has been tested in an empir-ical study revealing how designers appreciate it.

When the user interface (UI) has to be specified, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the worst thing one can do is attempt to write a natural language specification for it. Nevertheless, this practice is still common, and it is therefore a difficult task to move from text-based requirements and problem-space concepts to a final UI design, and then back again. Especially for the specification of interactive UIs, however, actors must frequently switch between high-level descriptions and detailed screens. In our research we found that advanced UI specifications therefore have to be made up of interconnected artefacts that have distinct levels of abstraction. With regards to the transparency and traceability of the rationale of the UI specification, transitions and dependencies must be visual and traversable. We introduce a model-based UI specification method that interactively integrates interdisciplinary and informal modelling languages with different fidelities of UI prototyping to an interactive design rationale. With an innovative experimental tool we assemble models and design to an interactive UI specification. With a zoomable user interface (ZUI) approach, we can visualize the modelled artefacts and the overall UI specification space on desktop computers as well as on megapixel displays.

When the user interface (UI) has to be specified, a picture is worth a thousand words and the worst thing a human-computer interaction (HCI) expert can do is attempt to write a natural language specification for it. Nevertheless, this practice is still common and it is therefore a difficult task to move from text-based requirements and problem-space concepts to a final UI design, and then back again. Especially for the specification of interactive UIs, however, HCI experts must frequently switch between high-level descriptions and detailed screens. In our research we found that advanced UI specifications therefore have to be made up of interconnected artefacts that have distinct levels of abstraction. With regards to the transparency and traceability of the rationale of the UI specification, transitions and dependencies must be visual and traversable. We introduce a UI specification method that interactively integrates interdisciplinary and informal modelling languages with different fidelities of UI prototyping. With an innovative experimental tool, we finally assemble models and design to a visual UI specification that will quickly take the place of text-based artefacts.

We seek to close the gap between software engineering (SE) and human-computer interaction (HCI) by indicating interdisciplinary interfaces throughout the different phases of SE and HCI lifecycles. As agile representatives of SE, Extreme Programming (XP) and Agile Modeling (AM) contribute helpful principles and practices for a common engineering approach. We present a cross-discipline user interface design lifecycle that integrates SE and HCI under the umbrella of agile development. Melting IT budgets, pressure of time and the demand to build better software in less time must be supported by traveling as light as possible. We did, therefore, choose not just to mediate both disciplines. Following our surveys, a rather radical approach best fits the demands of engineering organizations.

Corporate software development faces very demanding challenges, especially concerning the user interface of a software system. Collaborative design with stakeholders demands informal modeling methods that everybody can understand and apply. But using traditional, paper-based methods to gather and document requirements, an IT organization often experiences frustrating communication issues between the business and development teams. We present ways of agile high-fidelity prototyping for corporate user interface design. Without harming agile principles and practice, detailed prototypes can be employed for collaborative design, can act as visual specifications and substitute paper-based artifacts.

Der hohe Stellenwert gebrauchstauglicher Benutzungsschnittstellen wird von immer mehr Unternehmen erkannt und erfordert eine Anpassung verbreiteter Vorgehensweisen bei der Anforderungsermittlung und Systemspezifikation. Der Auftraggeber kann sich nicht darauf beschränken, die System- und Benutzeranforderungen zu definieren. Der Auftragnehmer ist oft nicht in der Lage, selbständig ein benutzerfreund-liches System nach den exakten Vorstellungen des Auftraggebers zu gestalten (Offergeld & Oed 2006). Wir stellen Vorgehensmodelle und Methoden zur Erzeugung interaktiver Prototypen und Systemspezifikationen vor. Durch eine visuelle Spezifikationen können Kommunikations- und Kompetenzprobleme überwunden werden. Entwicklungszeiten werden bei gleichzeitiger Steigerung der Qualität verkürzt und die Zusammenarbeit optimiert.