Ability to scale up from toy examples to real life problems is a crucial issue for formal methods. Formalizing a algorithm used in vehicle automation (platooning control) in a certification perspective, we had the opportunity to study the scaling up when going from a (toy) model in 1D to a (more realistic) model in 2D. The formalism, Event-B, belongs to the family of mathematical state based me...

Analogical reasoning and its applications are gaining attention not only in cognitive science but also in the context of education and teaching. In this paper we provide a short analysis and a detailed formal model (based on the Heuristic-Driven Theory Projection framework for computational analogy-making) of the Calculation Circular Staircase, a tool for teaching basic arithmetic and insights ...

We propose an approach to testing that combines formal methods with practical criteria, close to the testing engineer’s experience. It can be seen as a framework to evaluate and select test suites using formal methods, assisted by informal heuristics. This proposal is illustrated with a practical case study: the testing of a protocol for mobile auctions in a distributed, wireless environment. K...

This paper is about explanation-based learning for heuristic problem solvers which "build" solutions using schemata (frames like scripts) as both "bricks" and "mortar". The heart of the paper is a description of a generalization method which is designed to extract as much information as possible from examples of successful problem solving behavior. A' related generalizer, (less powerful but mor...

We introduce a formal model of inconsistency-related mode confusion. This forms the basis of a heuristic methodology for critiquing user interfaces, using a matrix algebra approach to interface specification [12]. We also present a novel algorithm for automatically identifying modes in state-based interface designs, allowing a significant level of automated tool support for our methodology. The...

We propose an approach to testing that combines formal methods with practical criteria, close to the testing engineer’s experience. It can be seen as a framework to evaluate and select test suites using formal methods, assisted by informal heuristics. We also introduce the formalism of enriched transition systems to store information obtained during the testing phase, and to adapt classical tes...

The paper is concerned with automatic usability assessment, based on heuristic principles. The objective is to lay the ground, albeit still rather informally, of a program of assessing the usability of an interactive system using formal methods. Further research can then extend this into an algebra of interactive systems.