A pattern-supported approach to the user interface design process

Abstract

Patterns describe generic solutions to common problems in context. Originating from the world of architecture, patterns have been used mostly in object-oriented programming and data analysis. The goal of HCI patterns is to create an inventory of solutions to help designers (and usability engineers) to resolve UI development problems that are common, difficult and frequently encountered. In this paper, we present our pattern-supported approach to user interface design in the context of information visualization. Using a concrete example from the telecommunications domain, we will focus on a task/subtask pattern to illustrate how knowledge about a task and an appropriate interaction design solution can be captured and communicated. 1