This paper discusses a method for the analysis of dependable interactive systems using model checking, and its support by a tool designed to make it accessible to a broader community. The method and the tool are designed to be of value to system engineers, usability engineers and software engineers. It has been designed to help usability engineers by making those aspects of the analysis relevant to them explicit while concealing those aspects of modelling and model checking that are not relevant. The paper presents the results of a user evaluation of the effectiveness of aspects of the tool and how it supports the proposed method.
Mobility of ubiquitous systems offers the possibility of using the current context to infer information that might otherwise require user input. This can either make user interfaces more intuitive or cause subtle and confusing mode changes. We discuss the analysis of such systems that will allow the designer to predict potential pitfalls before the design is fielded. Whereas the current predominant approach to understanding mobile systems is to build and explore experimental prototypes, our exploration highlights the possibility that early models of an interactive system might be used to predict problems with embedding in context before costly mistakes have been made. Analysis based on model checking is used to contrast configuration and context issues in two interfaces to a process control system.
Technological advances may disrupt labour markets as traditional jobs change or disappear, even as the number of young job-seekers continues to grow. Retraining will be needed at previously unimaginable scales. Education must adapt, from the earliest grades. And the very nature of work will change."
Abstract:Key words:Function allocation, as a process used in the construction of dependable complex systems, is a significant aspect of the design and implementation of interactive systems. It involves a documented and rational process for deciding what aspects of the system should be controlled by which human roles in the system and how the system should be automated to support these roles effectively. As computer systems have become more advanced, and the control of systems more complex, the notion of dynamic function allocation becomes increasingly desirable where in certain situations the automation may take over or give back function to the human user. In this paper we explore a further variant of dynamic function allocation that reflects typical work activity where the dynamic scheduling of activities takes place on the time dimension. The paper discusses this approach to dynamic function allocation called dynamic function scheduling and discusses the role that timed model checking may play in helping identify dependable dynamic function scheduling solutions.Dynamic function scheduling; timed model checking.
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