Model-Based UI Working Group Charter
The mission of the Model-Based UI Working
Group, part of the Ubiquitous Web Applications
Activity, is to develop standards as a basis for interoperability
across authoring tools for context aware user interfaces for Web-based
interactive applications.
End date |
30 November 2013 |
Confidentiality |
Proceedings are public |
Initial Chair |
Gerrit Meixner, DFKI |
Initial Team Contacts
|
Dave Raggett (0.2 FTE) |
Usual Meeting Schedule |
Teleconferences: Weekly
Face-to-face: 1-3 face to face (F2F) meetings are planned
per year, but the chairs have the prerogative to call additional
meetings if the work requires or decide not to call a F2F if
budget or timing requirements make it difficult to organize. |
Background
Application developers face increasing difficulties due to wide
variations in device capabilities, in the details of the standards
they support, the need to support assistive technologies for
accessibility, the demand for richer user interfaces, the
suites of programming languages and libraries, and the need to
contain costs and meet challenging schedules during the
development and maintenance of applications.
The market for authoring tools for Web applications and
interactive application front ends in general remains under
developed. In many cases, the tools that exist rely on proprietary
formats, or APIs specific to particular programming languages, and
this hinders developers from switching between tools, and this is
increasingly a concern in a number of industries, e.g. aviation
and automotive. The emergence of popular libraries such as jQuery
demonstrate the importance of reducing the burden on developers,
and the need to decouple the effort required to work on different
aspects of design and implementation of interactive application
front ends. If you are focusing on the usability or styling of a
user interface, you shouldn't need to deal with the lower level
details of how this will be realized on a given device or
platform.
This Working Group draws upon many years of research into
model-based design, and continues the work started in the
Model-Based UI Incubator Group, the associated W3C Workshop in
Rome, and a follow up meeting at the W3C Technical Plenary
2010:
Compatibility and Deployment Expectation
The Model-Based UI Working Group will benefit from extensive
experience with model-based user interface design solutions, and
will provide a strong basis for interoperable authoring tools for
interactive application front ends, with HTML5 as a key delivery
platform. The Web is increasingly seen as a platform for
distributed applications, and the MBUI WG specifications are
expected to be widely utilized as a basis for reducing the cost
and increasing the productivity of application user interface
designers as well as application developers.
Scope
- Use cases and Requirements
- As needed to guide and justify the design decisions for the
development of the specifications.
- Specification of meta-models for interchange of models between
authoring tools for (context aware) user interfaces for web-based
interactive application front ends
- This could take the form of UML diagrams and OWL ontologies,
and cover the various levels of abstraction (e.g. as defined in
the Cameleon reference framework, as well as that needed to
support dynamic adaption to changes in the context).
- Specification of a markup language and API which realize the
meta-models.
- This is expected to draw upon existing work such as (but not
restricted to) Concur Task Trees (CTT), Useware Markup Language
(useML), UsiXML or UIML.
- Test assertions and Test suite for demonstrating interoperability
- This is needed to support progress along the W3C
Recommendation Track, and in particular, to exit from the
Candidate Recommendation phase.
- Model-based user interface design primer
- An explanation/guideline for how to apply the specifications
to support the development of the associated use cases.
- Open Source Implementations
- Working Group members may wish to develop open source
implementations of authoring tools to demonstrate the potential,
and for use in developing and applying the test suite described
above.
Out of Scope
Some features are explicitly out of scope for the Working Group
- Defining markup and APIs for direct interpretation by
interactive application front ends (e.g. web browsers).
- But where appropriate, it should be feasible to define markup,
events and APIs that are supported by libraries, e.g. JavaScript
modules. This may be needed to support dynamic adaptation to
changes in the context.
Deliverables
The Working Group will develop specifications for two W3C
Recommendations, together with W3C Working Group Notes for
associated non REC track deliverables. Open source implementations
may be released to accompany the specifications.
Milestones
Milestones
Note: The group will document significant
changes from this initial schedule on the group home page. |
Specification |
FPWD |
LC |
CR |
PR |
Rec |
Meta-Models for Context Aware interactive application Front Ends |
March 2012 |
September 2012 |
February 2013 |
June 2013 |
August 2013 |
Markup Language and API for MBUI |
March 2012 |
September 2012 |
February 2013 |
June 2013 |
August 2013 |
Timeline View Summary
- November 2011: First teleconference
- January 2012: First face-to-face meeting
- March 2012: First publication of Working Group Notes
- March 2012: Publication of the First Public Working Drafts
- 2012: Progression through Last Call
- 2013: Candidate Recommendation, dealing with issues arising
and progression to Proposed Recommendation
Dependencies and Liaisons
W3C Groups and Specifications
- CSS Working Group
- Style sheets for Web applications. This is relevant to
"skinning" concrete user interface designs, and also to the
means to adapt styling to match device capabilities through CSS media
queries. The MBUI WG could review proposed CSS3 modules
for their fit for the needs for a range of UI designs.
- Device
API's Working Group
- Defining client-side APIs for applications to interact with
devices services such as Calendar, Contacts, Camera, etc. The
DAP WG is also expected to consider work on APIs for local
discovery that could be valuable for context aware applications.
- Geolocation Working Group
- API for determining the location and orientiation of a device,
and therefore relevant to location aware user interfaces.
- HTML Working Group
- HTML5 is an important delivery target for the Model-Based
UI Working Group.
- Internationalization Core Working
Group
- Ensuring that W3C specifications are fit for use with different
languages, scripts, and cultures. In the context of UI design,
a key consideration is enabling designers to support localization
- Multimodal
Interaction Working Group
- Specifications relating to multimodal interaction, including
interpretations of user input (EMMA), ink traces from touch and
pen input (InkML), the representation of emotions and related
states as part of user interaction (EmotionML). The related HTML Speech Incubator Group
focuses on integrating speech technology in HTML5 to provide a
browser-independent multimodal experience. The MBUI WG should
ensure that the proposal meta-models enable the design of
multimodal user interfaces.
- Real-Time Communications
Working Group
- This is a proposed W3C Working Group that would focus on
specifications for interactive real-time communications,
including the establishment of peer to peer connections.
- SVG Working Group
- Scalable vector graphics that can be animated and scripted
as part of the user interface for Web applications. SVG provides
a target for model-based UI design on its own or in conjunction
with HTML.
- UWA Delivery Context Ontology
- Provides a formal model of the characteristics of the environment
in which devices interact with the Web or other services. The Delivery
Context includes the characteristics of the Device, the software used
to access the service and the Network providing the connection among
others. The Delivery Context is an important source of information
that can be exploited to create context-aware applications, thus
providing a compelling user experience.
- Voice Browser Working Group
- Specifications for human-computer interaction via speech.
These provide a target for model-based UI design.
- WAI-ARIA
- The Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines a way
to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people
with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and
advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax, HTML,
JavaScript, and related technologies. Model-Based UI design
should simplify the generation of ARIA enabled applications.
- WAI-PF
- The Protocols and Formats Working Group assists other W3C
groups with reviews of proposed specifications to ensure that
W3C specifications provide support for accessibility to people
with disabilities. The MBUI WG would seek review from WAI-PF
to ensure that the model-based UI design specifications take
accessibility into account for both designers and end-users.
- Web Applications Working Group
- Covering a variety of APIs and mechanisms for use by Web
applications, e.g. offline operation, background scripts, cross
docuument messaging and remote events. Together, these provide
rich possibilities for targeting model-based UI.
- Web Events Working Group
- Chartered to develop specifications for physical multitouch
interface events (including such related interface as pen-tablets,
electronic whiteboards, and similar input devices), as well as for
higher-level events which encapsulate touch interfaces, keyboard
input, mouse control, and other input devices, into a single simple,
consistent model that defines user actions (such as zoom-in, scroll,
redo, undo, and so forth). The Web Events Working Group will
consider four conceptual layers for interaction: physical,
gestural, representational and intentional. This will be of
direct benefit to the Model-Based UI Working Group, and close
cooperation is expected between the two groups.
- Web Notifications Working
Group
- Defining an API for displaying simple notifications to the
user. This is potentially relevant as a means for alerting users
to changes to the context, thereby inviting users to request
changes to the UI.
External Groups
- Serenoa
- A European FP7 research project aimed at developing a novel,
open platform for enabling the creation of context-sensitive
service front-ends that react to changes in the context, adapting
the UI to a person's devices, tasks, preferences, and abilities.
The MBUI WG should establish close links with Serenoa to benefit
from the research perspective and experience with model-based UI
design and delivery to a variety of contexts and modalities.
- webinos
- A European FP7 research project aiming to deliver a platform
for web applications across mobile, PC, home media (TV) and
in-car devices. The webinos project will define and deliver an
Open Source Platform and software components for the Future
Internet in the form of web runtime extensions, to enable web
based applications and services to be used and shared consistently
and securely over a broad spectrum of converged and connected
devices, including mobile, PC, home media (TV) and in-car units.
The MBUI WG should liaise with webinos to benefit from the
use cases and platform design work being done by webinos.
- MARIAE
- The MARIA Environment provides a novel solution able to
exploit task models represented in the ConcurTaskTrees (CTT)
notation and user interface models (in the MARIA language) for
the design and development of interactive applications based on
Web services for various types of platforms (desktop, smartphones,
vocal, and multimodal, etc.).
- Morpheo
MyMobileWeb
- An open source, standards-based software framework that
simplifies the rapid development of mobile web applications and
portals. MyMobileWeb encompasses a set of technologies which
enable the automatic adaptation of applications to the target
Delivery Context (browser, device, network, and location, etc.).
- UsiXML
- UsiXML (which stands for USer Interface eXtensible Markup
Language) is a XML-compliant markup language that describes the
UI for multiple contexts of use such as Character User Interfaces
(CUIs), Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), Auditory User Interfaces,
and Multimodal User Interfaces.
- ANSI/CEA
- ANSI/CEA-2018 defines a task model description language
aimed at the user interfaces for consumer electronic devices.
The MBUI WG should clarify the positioning and scope of its
work with respect to ANSI/CEA-2018.
- OASIS
UIML
- The purpose of the OASIS UIML Specification TC is to develop
a specification for an abstract meta-language that can provide a
canonical XML representation of any user interface (UI). The
language should be capable of specifying the requirements,
design, and implementation of any UI.
- automotiveHMI
- The project automotiveHMI is funded by the German Federal
Ministry of Economics and Technology and aims to improve the
process of the development of user interfaces in the automotive
domain. An integrating approach based on standardized languages,
models and interfaces leads to an improvement of efficiency for
all companies involved from car manufacturers and component
suppliers to the producers of the used tools. The description
based on abstract models also enables the convergence of new,
multi-media and multimodal forms of interaction in completely
new operating systems. The MBUI WG should establish close links
with automotiveHMI to benefit from the research perspective and
experience with model-based UI design and delivery to a variety
of automotive platforms.
Participation
To be successful, the Model-Based UI Working Group is expected
to have 8 or more active participants for its duration. Effective
participation in the Working Group is expected to consume one work
day per week for each participant; and up to two days per week for
editors. The Model-Based UI Working Group will allocate also the
necessary resources for building Test Suites for each
specification.
The Working Group welcomes participation from representatives
of W3C Member organizations. To enable a broad spectrum of input,
the group also anticipates the active participation of individuals
as W3C Invited Experts (read the policy for approval
of Invited Experts). Participation from W3C Members and
non-Members alike will help ensure the goals of this charter are
effectively addressed. Invited Experts in this group are not
granted access to Member-only information.
Participants are reminded of the Good Standing
requirements of the W3C Process.
Decision Policy
As explained in the Process Document (section 3.3),
this group will seek to make decisions when there is consensus. When the Chair
puts a question and observes dissent, after due consideration of different
opinions, the Chair should record a decision (possibly after a formal vote) and
any objections, and move on.
- This charter is written in accordance with Section 3.4,
Votes of the W3C Process Document and includes no voting procedures
beyond what the Process Document requires.
Patent Policy
This Working Group operates under the W3C Patent Policy (5 February
2004 Version). To promote the widest adoption of Web standards, W3C seeks to
issue Recommendations that can be implemented, according to this policy, on a
Royalty-Free basis.
For more information about disclosure obligations for this group, please see
the W3C Patent Policy
Implementation.
About this Charter
This charter for the Model-Based UI Working Group has been created
according to section 6.2
of the Process Document. In the event
of a conflict between this document or the provisions of any charter
and the W3C Process, the W3C Process shall take precedence.
Dave Raggett <dsr@w3.org>,
W3C Staff Contact
Copyright© 2011
W3C ® (MIT , ERCIM
, Keio), All Rights
Reserved.
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