Including the User's View in Systems Design

Abstract The use of structured analysis techniques and notation to analyse and subsequently design information systems has provided a powerful ccximunication tool for use between analysts and end-users. However data flow diagrams provide a model of the system in the data and function domains with little indication of the dynamic aspects of the system as would be represented in a time domain model. This paper develops an approach (hells, 1984 a, 1984 b, 1984 c) to modelling the user-controlled dynamic aspects of the proposed system, which can be integrated with the structured analysis notation. This modelling approach has been used to describe man-machine dialogues which can subsequently be entered into a microcomputer based Dialogue Prototyper designed by the author. To summarise, the paper describes a design methodology for the man-machine interface aspects of a system, which can be integrated with structured systems analysis and design methods. A practical application of the representation method is demonstrated via a computer based Dialogue Prototyper. The paper concludes with an illustration of the methodology applied to the design of part of an interactive stock recording system.