Abstract

This paper presents some of the lessons learned from a software engineering case study that adopted a formal approach to the modeling, development and implementation of a user interface metaphor. The application of metaphorical concepts in human-computer interaction is wide spread but informed by only a few high-level design processes or abstractions. As a result, the integration of these concepts with other design views is often both weakly specified and only tacitly understood. In an attempt to better understand this design activity, this paper reports on the use of ISML (an XML-based GUI specification framework) within the context of a streaming media software engineering project. An analysis of the engineers' modeling and development experiences using the ISML framework reveals valuable insights regarding the use of some model-based design views and their realisation in an interactive application.