Specification by reformulation: a paradigm for building integrated user support environments
John Yen, Robert T. Neches, Michael DeBellis · National Conference on Artificial Intelligence · 1988
Specification by reformulation is a general interface paradigm. It is an abstraction of retrieval by reformulation, a paradigm used in previous systems for assisting users in formulating database queries. Specification by reformulation serves as a general foundation upon which domain specific applications can be built. To illustrate its usage, we describe three services built within it: a database retrieval aid, a notecards facility, and an electronic-mail interface to an on-line procurement system. Building systems in this way illustrates the concept of an integrated user support environment - a set of cooperating tools for end users that can be extended by application builders.