EMBEDDED PROCESS MODELING ANALOGY-BASED EXPLANATION FACILITIES AND GRAPHIC NAVIGATIONAL AIDS FOR ENHANCED USER-COMPUTER INTERACTION

USER-COMPUTER INTERACTION AND THE INTERFACE (UCI) TECHNOLOGY THAT SUPPORTS IT IS FAR FROM PERFECT. IN SPITE OF CALLS FOR "USER FRIENDLINESS," USERS STILL GET LOST DURING PROBLEM-SOLVING SESSIONS, FORGET COMMAND STRUCTURES, AND FIND MANY INPUT ROUTINES DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE. THIS PROPOSAL CALLS FOR THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND EVALUATION OF SEVERAL ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR ENHANCED USER-COMPUTER INTERACTION. THE TECHNIQUES INCLUDE THE USE OF EMBEDDED PROCESS MODELS FOR SYSTEM STATUS MONITORING, THE USE OF ANALOGY-BASED EXPLANTATIONS FOR ON-LINE INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING, AND THEUSE OF GRAPHIC NAVIGATIONAL AIDS AND CUES FOR EFFECTIVE INPUT/PROCESS/OUTPUT ROUTINES. THE PROPOSAL CALLS FOR THE INCARNATION OF THE TECHNIQUES IN THE DOMAIN OF ARMY TACTICAL PLANNING VIA AN INTERCTIVE COMPUTER-BASED STORYBOARD THAT WILL DEMONSTRATE PRECISELY HOW THE TECHNIQUES CAN BE EXPECTED TO ENHANCE USER-COMPUTER INTERACTION.