Victor Penichet

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TOUCHE

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AcronymTOUCHE
NameTask-Oriented and User-Centred Process Model for Developing Interfaces for Human-Computer-Human Environments
 Modelo de Proceso para el Desarrollo de Interfaces en Entornos CSCW Centrado en los Usuarios y Dirigido por Tareas
DateNovember, 2007
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TOUCHE is a process model and a methodology for the development of user interfaces for groupware applications from the requirements gathering up to the implementation stage, considering the characteristics and particularities of such systems from the beginning. Previously, a study of CSCW systems has been performed. As a result of this study, a method for the classification of these applications, which solves some disadvantages in previous ones, has been developed. The study of the specific concepts has concluded with a conceptual model of terms and relations which is the base of the process model.

The stages of the process model are briefly described as follows:

  • Stage 1.- Requirements Gathering. The first stage of the model gathers the requirements of the system to be developed to catch the objectives. This part has been based on Amador Durán’s work, where it is important to emphasize, among other things, the requirement gathering templates and the System Requirement Document or DRS which brings together all the information.
  • Stage 2.- Analysis. The Analysis stage is about the problem domain study. This stage looks for the what. It describes the requirements of the system without describing implementation issues. Roles and tasks are identified and described. The analysis of the system is performed from a structural perspective by means of Class Diagrams and the OSD or Organizational Structure Diagram; and from a behavioural perspective by means of the Task Diagram or TD (CTT notation has been adopted in this case) and the Co-interaction Diagram or CD (developed to identify relationships among the actors of the system).
  • Stage 3.- Design. This stage is about how to present the information (visualization, entries, controls, etc.) to the final user. All the information gathered up to now in the previous stages is processed and translated to a representation of the software to be implemented. Users’ awareness, that is, users’ knowledge about the other users in the system, should be considered in order to get a good groupware design. Abstract Interaction Objects (AIOs) are used to design Abstract User Interfaces (AUIs). We use the UsiXML conceptual scheme (by Quentin Limbourg). The model is enriched with a new AIO and several facets which provide more expressiveness to represent this kind of systems.
  • Stage 4.- Implementation. The Implementation stage of the system deals with the generation of the UI from the AIOs obtained in the previous stage. It is a reification process from every component to more concrete elements according to implementation and platform details. One of the last studies about user interfaces for HCI environments is Cameleon; therefore this work also follows this process. Several specific CIOs for groupware applications are proposed.

The traceability between the defined models and between the different stages is considered and detailed in the description of the process model.

Last Updated on Thursday, 29 April 2010 11:21