dir@cbosgd.UUCP (11/10/83)
Many software development projects follow an evolutionary cycle composed of (1) requirements analysis, (2) high-level design spec, (3) detailed designed spec, and (4) user guide. Somewhere in this cycle the requirements functions (i.e tasks) are turned into a user interface spec, typically consisting of displays and the means of interacting among them. The process of turning tasks into displays is perhaps 80% art and 20% science. Question: Has anyone found a way to turn the description of a task directly into the "best" means of presenting that task on a CRT, especially on graphics CRTs? By directly I mean that most requirement specs are on-line, thus the task descriptions can be formalized without much problem (like using pseudo-code or structured english), and then special programs can scan through the formalized task descriptions and <here's the rub> automatically come up with likely displays, interaction methods, etc. Has anyone pursued this idea? Another way of thinking about this idea is to build an on-line design aid with expertise in the human factors of user interface design. An "ergonomics work bench" a la writer's work bench? Dean Radin AT&T Bell Laboratories - Columbus fast mail: cbosgd!dir