Abstract:
Visual notations form an integral part of the language of software engineering (SE). Yet historically, SE researchers and notation designers have ignored or undervalued issues of visual representation. In evaluating and comparing notations, details of visual syntax are rarely discussed. In designing notations, the majority of effort is spent on semantics, with graphical conventions often an afterthought. Typically no design rationale, scientific or otherwise, is provided for visual representation choices. While SE has developed mature methods for evaluating and designing semantics, it lacks equivalent methods for visual syntax.
This tutorial defines a set of principles for designing cognitively effective visual notations: ones that are optimised for human communication and problem solving. Together these form a design theory, called the Physics of Notations as it focuses on the physical (perceptual) properties of notations rather than their logical (semantic) properties. The principles were synthesised from theory and empirical evidence from a wide range of fields and rest on an explicit theory of how visual notations communicate. They can be used to evaluate, compare and improve existing visual notations as well as to construct new ones. The tutorial identifies serious design flaws in some of the leading SE notations together with practical suggestions for improving them. It also showcases some examples of visual notation design excellence from SE and other fields.
Presenter:
Daniel Moody is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Information Systems at the University of Twente. He has a PhD in Information Systems from the University of Melbourne, but his experience spans both research and practice. He has held academic positions at universities in Australia, Norway, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Iceland, Netherlands and Brazil, has published over 100 scientific papers and chaired several international conferences. He has also held senior positions in major corporations and consulting firms, and has conducted consulting assignments in 12 different countries across a range of industries (including banking, law enforcement, television, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, airlines, emergency services, healthcare, education and the environment). He is the current President of the Australian Data Management Association (DAMA) and is listed in Who's Who in Science and Engineering.