Presentation Based User Interfaces

Abstract

This research will develop a methodology for designing user interfaces for general-purpose interactive systems. The central concept is the presentation, a structured pictorial or text object conveying information about some abstract object to the user. The methodology models a user interface as a shared communication medium, user and system communicating to each other by manipulating presentations. The methodology stresses relations between presentations, especially presentations of the system itself; presentation manipulation by the user; presentation recognition by the system; and how properties of these establish a spectrum of interface styles. The methodology suggests a general system base providing mechanisms to support construction of user interfaces. As part of an argument that such a base is feasible and valuable, and to demonstrate the domain independence of the methodology, three test systems will be implemented.