A knowledge-based method for engineering navigational capability into user interface software

Abstract

One of the most time consuming tasks involved in the creation of user interfaces (UIs) has been the development of navigational logic to control which screens the user sees and when they are presented. The authors describe a practical, timesaving approach using knowledge engineering principles and two knowledge-based software tools which they have developed. These tools, combined with a method of representing complex navigational logic, constitute an effective approach to engineering large UI software applications. The method was tested in a complex application containing over 130 screens where this approach was estimated to be ten times more efficient than conventional techniques.<>