Timetrees: A Branching-Time Structure for Modeling Activity and State in Human-Computer Interaction

The design and construction of usable interactive systems requires a user-centered approach to system development. Such an approach requires tools and representations reflecting a behavioral view of the interface-a view centered on user activities and the system activities and states that the user c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human-computer interaction 1999-01, Vol.14 (3), p.245-282
Main Authors: Brandenburg, Jeff, Hartson, H. Rex
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Human-computer interaction
Timetrees
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Summary:The design and construction of usable interactive systems requires a user-centered approach to system development. Such an approach requires tools and representations reflecting a behavioral view of the interface-a view centered on user activities and the system activities and states that the user can perceive. We present a model of these behavioral phenomena well suited for defining, extending, and analyzing behavioral representations. Our model is based on the timetree, a novel tree-based structure representing tasks, user actions, system activity, and system and interface state, all within a framework of branching sequential timelines. We introduce the timetree model by relating it to well-known interactive behaviors. We present a formal definition of timetrees and some of the operations they support, and we show some ways in which the model has contributed to our understanding of behavioral descriptions.
ISSN:0737-0024
1532-7051
DOI:10.1207/S15327051HCI1403_1