Bridging the gap between model and design of user interfaces

Abstract

The creation of user interfaces usually involves various people in different roles and several tools that are designed to support each specific role. In this paper we propose a tool for rapid prototyping that allows all parties involved to directly interact with the system under development. The tool is based on task tree development and integrates the system designer, the user interface designer, the usability expert, and the user interface developer in a common process. The final system is derived from two sources, the task model specified by the system architect and the final user interface specified by the user interface developer and designer. Aggregating the runtime system and the design tools into one complete integrated system is our approach to bridge the gap between the user interface designer working on system mock-ups and the actual developers implementing the system.