Interactively Mapping Task Models to Interfaces in MOBI-D
Angel R. Puerta, Jacob Eisenstein · 1998
One of the central elements of model-based interface design is the mapping of abstract task models into concrete interface designs. It is also one of the least understood parts of model-based technology. Most previous solutions to this problem focused on determining automatically such mappings or on hardwiring the mappings into software. We claim that the nature of the mapping problem is such that it resists solutions via single formalisms. We propose an alternative solution in which we build interactive tools that allow developers to view and manipulate such mappings. By exploring the use of these tools, we should be able to detect patterns of usage that are good candidates for automation. We present in this paper the software infrastructure that we have built in order to allow interface designers to set mappings during the design cycle of an interface. To enable these capabilities, we exploit the features of the interface modeling language in MOBI-D (Model-Based Interface Designer), which is able to represent declaratively mappings between abstract and concrete units of an interface model