Coupling interaction specification with functionality description

Abstract

In this paper, the solution used in the context of SEPDS (a Software Development Environment) to the problem of combining interactive behavior specification with functionality description of a distributed interactive application is presented. This solution consists of combining two specification models: IDFG to describe the interactive aspects of applications developed with the system and EDFG to describe their functionality. Both these models are data flow graph based and can be classified as process models. They use ”actors” to represent performers of processes and ”links” to represent data buffering and exchange, as well as roles and different perspectives. Although the two models have many semantical differences, they also have many common properties, that is why they can be straightforwardly combined in a process that enables designers think in users terms. To this end, action actors are used to represent the functions supported by the application, and context actors to represent the application user interface functions. In addition, links are used to represent the events that take place in the system (these may be user or system actions), the effects that these have on the screen, the context into which these take place and the goals that may be achieved using the application. Furthermore, the reusability and prototyping tools of SEPDS can be used to construct and test the application design.