A flow-based user interface for efficient execution of the design cycle

In this paper we present a user interface that supports design engineers in having efficient interaction with their CAD system. We adopt a flow-based paradigm for design history browsing and tool selection. Based on this paradigm the user interface shows design objects in the context of executed-, enabled- and disabled tools and related design objects. We present a flow coloring algorithm which is used by the user interface to automatically select convenient doses of information related to a user-specified design object. The user interface integrates many aspects of user interaction into a single platform that enables design engineers to efficiently execute the design cycle. This includes tool invocation facilities, an intuitive mechanism for interaction among different browsers, and a mechanism for automatic updates of the information that is being displayed as changes occur. The user interface has been implemented as a desktop facility in the Nelsis CAD Framework.