Interactive prototyping methodology for a domain-dependent user interface

TASC is developing the Integrated Model Development Environment (IMDE) as a software environment for airbase logistics modeling. The authors describe the methodology for developing the user interface (UI). A UI prototyping process is planned to elicit task-oriented requirements from users of current airbase simulations. An interactive prototyping methodology was developed as an alternative to formal task analysis due to the absence of an existing user base from which to gather task information. An initial graphical UI (GUI) is designed based on analyses of projected user´s and expert´s conceptual (mental) models of airbase logistics and simulations. A cognitive network method is used for mental model extraction, which is based on knowledge acquisition methods from artificial intelligence. This network of expert/user concepts affords the design of GUl prototypes that map to the expert/user´s conceptual model of the domain