Encapsulating multiple perspectives in interaction specification

In this paper, a design model that regards an interactive application as a set of processes is described. Each process can be specified using the IMPG (Interactive Multi Flow Graph) model, a process model that combines Petri Net models properties with users´ cognitive aspects. In this way, several perspectives of interactive applications are offered to designers; these are behavioral, informational, causal and contextual. IMFG is used as the specification model of a graphical tool that supports the design of interactive applications as the continuous refinement of users´ goals, thus forcing designers to “think in users´ terms”. The strongest feature of IMFG is that it can be adapted to every domain of interactive applications. As an example, the model application to the design of the user interface of a highly-interactive authoring environment is briefly presented