The Task-Dialog and Task-Presentation Mapping Problem: Some Preliminary Results

Model-based interface development environments typically involve the manipulation and the organization of multiple component models in order to develop one or many user interfaces corresponding to the models. In this context, the mapping problem poses the challenge of defining the elements of these models and to link them into an appropriate way that reflects design options. The task-dialog and task-presentation mapping problem investigates to what extent a dialog model and a presentation model can be derived from a task model and subsequently linked from it. Some preliminary results for solving this type of mapping problem at a high level of abstraction are provided and exemplified on some particular model representations. A task model for a singleuser interactive application is formed with the ConcurTaskTrees notation. From the definition of its operators, a set of systematic rules for simultaneously deriving and linking elements for both dialog and presentation models are presented. These rules are organized into a decision tree presenting designers with design alternatives. To depict the models’ elements that can be derived and linked from these rules, the Windows Transition graphical notation is exploited.