Model-based User Interfaces Incubator Group Charter
The mission of the Model-based User Interfaces Incubator Group, part of the Incubator Activity, is to evaluate research on model-based user interface design as a framework for authoring Web applications and with a view to proposing work on related standards.
| End date | 30 April 2010 |
|---|---|
| Confidentiality | Proceedings are public |
| Initial Chairs | Dave Raggett |
| Initiating Members | |
| Usual Meeting Schedule | Teleconferences: Fortnightly, Face-to-face: two or three times |
Scope
Research work on model-based design of user interfaces has sought to address the challenge of reducing the costs for developing and maintaining user interfaces through a layered architecture that separates out different concerns:
- Application task models, data and meta-data
- Abstract Interface (device and modality independent, e.g. select 1 from N)
- Concrete Interface (device and/or modality dependent, e.g. use of radio buttons)
- Implementation on specific devices (e.g. HTML, SVG or Java)
Each layer embodies a model of behavior (e.g. dialog models and rule-based event handlers) at a progressively finer level of detail. The relationships between the layers can be given in terms of transformations, for example, between objects and events in adjoining layers. XML is well suited as a basis for representing each layer, with the possible exception of the final user interface, which may be generated automatically, guided via author supplied policies.
High level development suites can be provided to shield authors from the underlying XML representations. For example, a data model could be manipulated as a diagram, while the user interface could be defined via drag and drop operations together with editing values in property sheets. The development suite is responsible for maintaining the mappings between layers and verifying their consistency. Authors can choose to provide alternative mappings as needed to address different delivery contexts.
In Scope
The Model-based User Interfaces Incubator Group will evaluate research on model-based design, including end to end models that extend beyond a single Web page, and assess its potential as a framework for developing Web applications. This will involve consideration of use cases and requirements, the role of existing standards such as SCXML, DIAL/XHTML2 and XForms, and making proposals for new work on standards where appropriate.
Out of Scope
Themes define the detailed presentation and behavior for physical realisations of the Concrete UI. The mechanisms for "theming" a Concrete UI are out of scope for this XG, although it should be possible to identify which theme is to be applied. Note that the use of graphics (including SVG) as part of the Concrete UI remains in scope.
The concrete representation and modelling of Voice and multimodal interfaces is out of scope, but could be the subject for a follow on XG.
Success Criteria
The XG will be judged successful if its work is picked up in part or in whole by W3C Working Groups, such as the Ubiquitous Web Applications Working Group, whose charter is due for renewal in 2009. In addition, it is hoped that the XG will be successful in highlighting the role of XML for authoring as distinct from markup intended for direct interpretation by client platforms.
Deliverables
The prime deliverable for the Model-based UI XG will be an XG Report on the potential of model-based user interfaces as a framework for authoring web applications, including a taxonomy of use cases and recommendations for further work. The following would either be part of the XG Report or provided separately:
- Suggestions for a task modeling language based upon Concur Task Trees.
- An evaluation of the potential for combining diagrams and rule languages for end to end models, and the relationship to SCXML.
- An evaluation of DIAL/XHTML2 and XForms as a basis for the abstract user interface, and suggestions for generalizations based upon a gap analysis.
- Suggestions for a concrete user interface markup language.
- Potential mechanisms for guiding transformations between the different models, particularly from the abstract UI, to the concrete UI and to the final user interface (the implementation).
Dependencies
W3C Groups
- Forms Working Group
- The XG will liaise with the Forms Working Group on leveraging XForms for model-based design, including application data models and the Abstract UI.
- UWA Working Group
- The XG will liaise with the UWA Working Group on adapting the user interface to the delivery context, and for a treatment of events in distributed applications.
- Voice Browser Working Group
- The XG will liaise with the Voice Browser Working Group on the potential of State Chart XML (SCXML) for state dependent models of application behavior.
- WAI-PF Working Group
- The XG will liaise with the WAI-PF Working Group on the relationship between the WAI-ARIA taxonomy of roles and the Concrete UI layer.
- XHTML2 Working Group
- The XG will liaise with the XHTML2 Working Group on potential synergies between XHTML2 and markup for the Abstract UI layer.
- XSL Working Group
- The XG will liaise with the XSL Working Group on the use of XML for Concrete UI and potential synergies with XSL-FO.
External Groups
There are no direct dependencies on external groups, but the XG will study existing work relating to task and data models for user interfaces. Relevant work includes business processes models, user interfaces for embedded devices in distributed environments (for monitoring, supervision and control), and work on service composition (mashups). For the concrete UI, the XG will seek to enable a wide range of delivery channels, and this will necessitate a study of existing solutions.
Participation
It is envisioned that the XG will teleconference fortnightly at a time that provides an adequate compromise over the various time zones of the interested participants. Extensive discussion will also be carried out on the XG mailing list. Additionally, it may be useful to have two or three face-to-face meetings at a venue for which a significant number of XG participants are likely to attend.
Expected participation follows the W3C Process Document discussion of Good Standing.
Communication
This group primarily conducts its work on the public mailing list public-xg-model-based-ui@w3.org (archive). The group's Member-only list is member-xg-model-based-ui@w3.org (archive).
Information about the group (deliverables, participants, face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, etc.) is available from the Model-based User Interfaces Incubator Group home page.
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 Incubator Group provides an opportunity to share perspectives on the topic addressed by this charter. W3C reminds Incubator Group participants of their obligation to comply with patent disclosure obligations as set out in Section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy. While the Incubator Group does not produce Recommendation-track documents, when Incubator Group participants review Recommendation-track specifications from Working Groups, the patent disclosure obligations do apply.
Incubator Groups have as a goal to produce work that can be implemented on a Royalty Free basis, as defined in the W3C Patent Policy
The W3C Team is responsible for notifying all Participants in this Incubator Group in the event that a new Working Group is proposed to develop a Recommendation that takes the XG Report as an input.
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 User Interfaces Incubator Group has been created according to the Incubator Group Procedures documentation. 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.
Chater update history:
- On 13 November 2009, this charter was extended until 30 April 2010.
Further Reading
- Puerta, A.R. A Model-Based Interface Development Environment. IEEE Software, 14(4), July/August 1997, pp. 41-47.
- E. Schlungbaum. Model-Based User Interface Software Tools - Current State of Declarative Models. Technical Report 96-30, Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996.
- Paulo Pinheiro da Silva. User Interface Declarative Models and Development Environments: A Survey. In /Interactive Systems: Design, Specification, and Verification/ (7th International Workshop DSV-IS, Limerick, Ireland, June, 2000), Ph. Palanque and F. Paternò (Eds.). LNCS Vol. 1946, pages 207-226, Springer, 2000.
- Souchon, N., Vanderdonckt, J., A Review of XML-Compliant User Interface Description Languages, Proc. of 10th Int. Conf. on Design, Specification, and Verification of Interactive Systems DSV-IS'2003 (Madeira, 4-6 June 2003), Jorge, J., Nunes, N.J., Falcao e Cunha, J. (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 2844, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2003, pp. 377-391.
- Workshop on Developing User Interfaces with XML: Advances on User Interface Description Languages organized at Advanced Visual Interfaces 2004.
- Limbourg, Q., Vanderdonckt, J., Michotte, B., Bouillon, L., López Jaquero, V. UsiXML: a Language Supporting Multi-Path Development of User Interfaces, Proc. of 9th IFIP Working Conference on Engineering for Human-Computer Interaction jointly with 11th Int. Workshop on Design, Specification, and Verification of Interactive Systems EHCI-DSVIS’2004 (Hamburg, July 11-13, 2004). LNCS, Vol. 3425, Springer-Verlag
- Limbourg, Q. Multi-Path Development of User Interfaces. Ph.D Thesis, Université catholique de Louvain, 2004.
- Montero, F., López Jaquero, V., Vanderdonckt, J., González, P., Lonzano, M. Solving the Mapping Problem in User Interface Design by Seamless Intergration in IdealXML. Proc. of 12th Int. Workshop on Design, Specification and Verification of Interactive Systems, Newcastle (UK), July 2005.
- Raskin, Jeff, The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems, pub. Addison-Wesley 2000, ISBN 0-201-37937-6
- UsiXML Website an XML 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.
- Multimodal TERESA website, a transformation-based environment, supporting multimodal interfaces designed and developed at the HCI Group of ISTI-C.N.R.
- ConcurTaskTrees website, a notation for task model specifications developed by Fabio Paternò to overcome limitations of notations previously used to design interactive applications.
- Model-driven architecture covers a suite of standards produced by the OMG. These include QVT (queries, views and transformations) and XMI (XML Metadata Interchange). More details can be found on the OMG MDA home page
- ATL (ATLAS Transformation Language) is a model transformation language developed at INRIA to answer the QVT Request For Proposal from OMG. More details are available on the ATL project page
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA). A W3C specification that provides an ontology of roles, states, and properties that set out an abstract model for accessible interfaces.
Dave Raggett, JustSystems
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