This document discusses model-based interface development (MBID) and intelligent interfaces. It provides an overview of MBID, describing the different types of UI models used. It outlines the benefits of MBID, including producing well-structured systems, exploring design alternatives, and code generation. Six use cases are then described that demonstrate MBID for applications like a car rental system, digital home, and an augmented reality furniture shop. Finally, generic requirements for MBID and how UMLs can help address complexities in intelligent interfaces are covered.

1. Intelligent
Interfaces I
ICS2208
vanessa.camilleri@um.edu.mt
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2. Topic 2: Overview
• What is the Model-based Interface Development?
• UI models: task, abstract, concrete, final
• Benefits of MBID
• UMs & Intelligent Interfaces
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3. Model-based Interface
Development
• What is the Model-based Interface Development?
• UI models: task, abstract, concrete, final
3

4. Model-based Interface
Development
4

5. Model-based Interface
Development
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6. Benefits of MBID
• Benefits from using a step-wise development
lifecycle:
• reducing gap between requirements &
implementation;
• coordinating the involvement of multiple
stakeholders;
• Producing well structured systems;
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7. Benefits of MBID
• Benefits from using explicit abstract models:
• planning an adequate level of abstraction;
• improving communication by explicit models;
• supporting UI quality;
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8. Benefits of MBID
• Benefits from exploring alternative designs:
• supporting creation and creativity;
• enabling the production and comparison of
alternative designs for multiple contexts of use
while preserving quality (e.g., consistency);
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9. Benefits of MBID
• Benefits resulting from code generation:
• enhancing development productivity;
• capturing and reusing expert knowledge
throughout UI development life cycle;
• reducing errors;
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10. Benefits of MBID
• Benefits from using models at runtime:
• defining and enacting method for UI development
process;
• knowledge about creation of modeling languages;
• usage of frameworks and tools;
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11. Benefits of MBID
• Maintenance of modelling language and
transformations:
• systematic and explicit definition of meta-models
and transformations;
• maintenance of modelling languages and code
generators;
• Reuse of models, meta-models, and
transformations;
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12. Use Cases
• UC1: Car rental; The car rental example consists of a
scenario in which the interactive system permits users
to rent a car. In this sense, various contextual
information can be used to adapt application aspects,
and to properly display the list of cars to rent, enabling
users to make choices and to accomplish the main task
• context 1: at home using desktop pc
• context 2: smart phone (noisy environment/user
walking)

13. Car rental
Screenshot of Context 1
Screenshot of Context 2
Models involved Car rental process

14. Use Cases
• UC2: Digital Home; Digital home refers to a
residence with devices that are connected through
a computer network. A digital home has a network
of consumer electronics, mobile, and PC devices
that cooperate transparently.
• context 1: at home using desktop pc
• context 2: smart phone (noisy environment/user
walking)

15. Digital Home
Screenshot of Context 1
Screenshot of Context 2
The task model for the digital home

16. Use Cases
• UC3: Omitting minimalistic UIs through the use of an
universal interaction device in production environments;
The SmartFactoryKL (see Figure UC3.1) is an arbitrarily
modifiable and expandable (flexible) intelligent production
environment, connecting components from multiple
manufacturers (networked), enabling its components to
perform context-related tasks autonomously (self-organising),
and emphasising user-friendliness (user-oriented).
• Context 1: Physical environment is that of a production
environment (industrial factory), platform is a tablet PC (+
modules or field devices from different vendors), one single
user

17. Digital Home
Screenshot of Context 1
Screenshot of Context 2
The task model for the digital home

18. SmartFactory KL
Screenshot of Final UI Models in SmartFactory KL

19. Use Cases
• UC4: Story Editor; The production of e-learning tools for deaf
people meets with several difficulties, connected to the need to
resort only to the visual channel, without saturating it, and to
the adoption of different cognitive strategies developed within
the community - the use of a user interface abstract model in
the development of the interactive story editor, to be used by
tutors and teachers to organise the course material and path,
and which generates interactive pages for the students.
• Context 1: The generation of a course by a teacher, possibly
involving in the process tutors who will then have to assist
the learners. Learners and tutors will then interact with the
generated web pages

20. Digital Home
Screenshot of Context 1
Screenshot of Context 2
The task model for the digital home

21. Story Editor
Workflow and generated page for the story
Models in Story Editor

22. Use Cases
• UC5: Augmented Reality Widgets; Post-WIMP interactors
running inside a web application: A mixed reality furniture
online shop that can be controlled by gestures and supports
inter-reality migration of interactors. In the web furniture
shop, a customer can choose between different furniture
and fill up a shopping cart. By a drag-and-drop gesture
using both hands one can drag furniture interactors virtually
out of the monitor displaying the web shop and drop them
into an augmented reality to see if the furniture really
matches in space and color to the user’s environment. An
augmented reality frame that surrounds the shopping cart
allows to seamlessly switch between realities while crossing
it during the drag and drop gesture.

23. Digital Home
Screenshot of Context 1
Screenshot of Context 2
The task model for the digital home

24. AR Furniture shop
Shopping cart Web application
Two handed
gestures to drag
and drop furniture

25. Use Cases
• UC6: Interactive music sheet using head gestures;
When learning to play a musical instrument, or when
playing one, a music sheet is used to give guidance
as to how to perform the musical piece. However, as
songs become longer and more intricate they may
span across several sheets, forcing the player to stop
playing to turn the page. Although this may become
easier as one becomes more experienced with the
instrument, it is a barrier for inexperienced players
that can be tackled easily using a different mode to
turn the pages other than your hand.

26. Digital Home
Screenshot of Context 1
Screenshot of Context 2
The task model for the digital home

27. Interactive music
Models used for the Widgets Use Cases
Head tracking interactor

28. Generic Requirements for
MBID
1. Completeness
2. Consistency
3. Separation of concerns
4. Extensibility
5. Concision
6. Correlability

29. Model-based UI tools
• ConcurTaskTrees Environment
(CTTE),http://giove.isti.cnr.it/tools/CTTE/home
• Task/Design time/Java application
• Model-based lAnguage foR Interactive Applications
Environment (MARIAE),
http://giove.isti.cnr.it/tools/MARIAE/home
• Task, AUI, CUI, FUI/Design time/Java application

30. UMs & Intelligent Interfaces
• Complexities of intelligent interfaces include:
• knowledge representation
• architectures for knowledge-based systems
• human factors

31. UMs & Intelligent Interfaces
• There are three key benefits that a model of an
intelligent interface offers:
1. it establishes the knowledge requirements of
the interface,
2. it prescribes the functionality provided by the
system, and
3. it defines the concept of an intelligent interface