Using UIML to Automate Generation of Usability Prototypes and Tactical Software

Harmonia proposes a novel approach to automatically generating tactical human/computer interface (HCI) code and object design data from the user interface design developed through usability prototyping. This approach uses the User Interface Markup Language (UIML), an open specification language being standardized by OASIS, as a user interface design language that can be rendered to usability prototypes, tactical HCI code, and object model representations. The proposed approach centers on defining an enhanced, UIML-based user interface design process, and then defining tool support needs for this process. The intent is to span the gap between usability and object-oriented software engineering by supporting rapid prototyping of user interfaces for usability engineering, while providing the ability to generate object design data for the overall system"s object model and tactical HCI code for deployment. UIML and its associated tools form a bridge between the user interface designer and the application modeler, allowing early and frequent integration of the user interface design process and the application development life cycle. Bridging the gap between usability and software engineering is expected to save considerable effort by eliminating the manual work currently required to move from usability prototype to tactical HCI software.