From Conceptual Modelling to Architectural Modelling – A UCD Method for Interactive Systems

Software design is a process of transformation from problem domain to implementation domain based on two crucial models: conceptual and system models. User-Centred Design (UCD) differs from traditional software design in the perspective providing to conceptual modelling. It concentrates on knowledge about the context of use rather than the accidental features of problem domain. UCD is also concerned with the integration of that knowledge into the system model by means of contextualization that allows combining the descriptions of usage with the functional specifications during the process in order to accomplish a valid design solution. In this paper, we present the ADOI (Another Dimension of Information) approach that aims at providing support for contextual development. Due to its declarative specifications ADOI allows explicit conceptualization of usage, as well as of contextual linkage required for the transformation. A conceptualization- driven architecture is in ADOI open with respect to different perspectives for the user interface and the system. As a result, ADOI realizes the role of a complement of existing methods by providing a development support that can be integrated into different design models.