Towards a formal specification methodology for iconic interface design

A formal methodology to guide the designer in the production of iconic user interfaces is presented. One of the major issues of the proposed methodology is the possibility of separating the overall interface project from the design of the individual screen presentations, keeping both within a single framework. Another issue of the methodology concerns the choice of the abstraction level allowing the designer to concentrate on the main aspects of the interface, deferring the implementation details. The approach presented is based on state-transition diagrams which provide a sound theoretical basis to the methodology. The characteristics of the iconic interfaces are illustrated. The methodology for designing an iconic interface is presented. An application to the design of the interface of a knowledge-based system is given. The effectiveness of the presented approach is demonstrated