Designing DEVS visual interfaces for end-user programmers. (August 2015)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Designing DEVS visual interfaces for end-user programmers. (August 2015)
- Main Title:
- Designing DEVS visual interfaces for end-user programmers
- Authors:
- Maleki, Maryam
Woodbury, Robert
Goldstein, Rhys
Breslav, Simon
Khan, Azam - Abstract:
- Although the Discrete Event System specification (DEVS) has over recent decades provided systems engineers with a scalable approach to modeling and simulation, the formalism has seen little uptake in many other disciplines where it could be equally useful. Our observations of end-user programmers confronted with DEVS theory or software suggest that learning barriers are largely responsible for this lack of utilization. To address these barriers, we apply ideas from human–computer interaction to the design of visual interfaces intended to promote their users' effective knowledge of essential DEVS concepts. The first step is to propose a set of names that make these concepts easier to learn. We then design and provide rationale for visual interfaces for interacting with various elements of DEVS models and simulation runs. Both the names and interface designs are evaluated using the Cognitive Dimensions of Notations framework, which emphasizes trade-offs between 14 aspects of information artifacts. As a whole, this work illustrates a generally applicable design process for the development of interactive formalism-based simulation environments that are learnable and usable to those who are not experts in simulation formalisms.
- Is Part Of:
- Simulation. Volume 91:Number 8(2015:Aug.)
- Journal:
- Simulation
- Issue:
- Volume 91:Number 8(2015:Aug.)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 91, Issue 8 (2015)
- Year:
- 2015
- Volume:
- 91
- Issue:
- 8
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2015-0091-0008-0000
- Page Start:
- 715
- Page End:
- 734
- Publication Date:
- 2015-08
- Subjects:
- Discrete-event simulation -- end-user programming -- visual programming -- cognitive dimensions
Computer simulation -- Periodicals
003.3 - Journal URLs:
- http://SIM.sagepub.com/ ↗
http://fidelio.ingentaselect.com/vl=3713861/cl=37/nw=1/rpsv/ij/sage/00375497/contp1.htm ↗
http://firstsearch.oclc.org ↗
http://www.uk.sagepub.com/home.nav ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1177/0037549715598570 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0037-5497
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 6522.xml