On "Technomethodology": Foundational Relationships Between Ethnomethodology and System Design

Over the past 10 years, the use of sociological methods and sociological reasoning have become more prominent in the analysis and design of interactive systems. For a variety of reasons, one form of sociological inquiry—ethnomethodology—has become something of a favored approach. Our goal in this article is to investigate the consequences of approaching system design from the ethnomethodological perspective. In particular, we are concerned with how ethnomethodology can take a foundational place in the very notion of system design, rather than simply being employed as a resource in aspects of the process, such as requirements elicitation and specification. We begin by outlining the basic elements of ethnomethodology and discussing the place that it has come to occupy in computer-supported cooperative work and, increasingly, in human-computer interaction. We discuss current approaches to the use of ethnomethodology in systems design, and we point to the contrast between the use of ethnomethodology for critique and for design. Currently, understandings of how to use ethnomethodology as a primary aspect of system design are lacking. We outline a new approach and present an extended example of its use. This approach takes as its starting point a relationship between ethnomethodology and system design that is a foundational, theoretical matter rather than simply one of design practice and process. From this foundation, we believe, emerges a new model of interaction with computer systems, which is based on ethnomethodological perspectives on everyday human social action.     

Abstract communication model for distributed systems

In some distributed and mobile communication models, a message disappears in one place and miraculously appears in another. In reality, of course, there are no miracles. A message goes from one network to another; it can be lost or corrupted in the process. Here, we present a realistic but high-level communication model where abstract communicators represent various nets and subnets. The model was originally developed in the process of specifying a particular network architecture, namely, the Universal Plug and Play architecture. But, it is general. Our contention is that every message-based distributed system, properly abstracted, gives rise to a specialization of our abstract communication model. The purpose of the abstract communication model is not to design a new kind of network; rather, it is to discover the common part of all message-based communication networks. The generality of the model has been confirmed by its successful reuse for very different distributed architectures. The model is based on distributed abstract state machines. It is implemented in the specification language AsmL and is used for testing distributed systems.     

Roles for knowledge-based computer systems: Case studies in maternity care

The design of medical knowledge-based computer systems requires effective interdisciplinary communication for the development of a community sharing common goals and a common language for design. Over the past 9 years the Perinatal Research Group, an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, engineers and clinicians, have developed a prototype knowledge-based computer system to aid clinicians in the care of women in labour. The group were uncertain which approach to adopt to progress this system from a prototype to a useful clinical tool to support decision making. A case study and activity theory analysis, of an existing clinical knowledge-based computer system in routine use, helped to resolve a number of communication and methodological issues that the design team encountered. Sharing of backgrounds and perspectives caused the design team to question previous assumptions and to explore alternative functions and roles for knowledge-based computer systems in maternity care. We are now undertaking a longitudinal case study and activity theory analysis of obstetric teams and women in labour to analyse the relationships between clinicians, patients and technology. This work will inform the development of our knowledge-based computer system to place the patient at the centre of the decision-making process.     

Object-oriented programming with class dictionaries

A class dictionary defines all data structures that appear in a program as well as a language for describing data specified by the data structures. We demonstrate that class dictionaries are ideal for simplifying object-oriented programming. Our class dictionary-based approach to object-oriented programming is independent of any particular programming language, so it is applicable to a large variety of object-oriented systems. The experience in designing and using over one hundred class dictionaries has resulted in a set of useful design techniques. This novel approach to object-oriented programming makes interesting links between language design, data structure design, and data-base design.     

Metaphoric networks in 'Lexia to perplexia'

Abstract

The dream of being able to understand and communicate in any language has not yet been satisfied. However, there are existing signs and symbols (icons) which are understood internationally. This article proposes a computer-based iconic communication language. We present design considerations/or a visual language and how it could be developed to a level that might interest telephone companies, offering a service to specific groups in niche customer bases.     

Networks and artworks: the failure of the user friendly interface

Abstract

This essay describes how communication systems have been used by a few artists and attempts to place their practice within the historical and critical context of postmodernist dialogue and, in particular, the evolution of a new communication paradigm. It also questions the value of ‘user-friendly’ user interfaces. By adopting metaphors which reflect existing media usage these interface tools reinforce traditional points-of-view and make it difficult, if not impossible, to investigate and develop a new multimedia context and ‘language’.     

The systems programming language,Malus

This paper reports on the design and development of a high level language, Malus, for use in implementing a time-sharing system. Emphasized are the ways that the language and its compiler accommodate the specialized requirements of systems programming and programmers. Among these are the need to generate highly efficient object code, to allow inter-programmer communication by program self-documentation, and to define and organize system tables and data. In addition, the Malus compiler is highly modular; thus the language may be modified or augmented in response to user needs unforeseen during langauge design. Systems programs cannot be machine independent and Malus allows explicit control of emitted code when an application requires particular efficiency or use of privileged instructions. There is also a facility allowing nested redefinition of identifiers. Efficient storage management and data access is effected by the availability of based structures, a register storage class and built-in functions to facilitate their use. Malus is evaluated both in terms of some general criteria for systems implementation languages and by an appraisal of user reactions. While this assessment shows a few areas where the language might be improved, it is felt that Malus is a valuable and effective tool for systems implementation.     

Improving Communication in E-democracy Using Natural Language Processing

E-democracy, the design and development of new techniques for improving communication between public administration and citizens, is a major application field for natural language processing and language engineering. Helping citizens access information in a friendly, intuitive way is the primary objective of a global e-democracy framework. The E-democracy European Network project (EDEN) aimed at discovering whether a particular NLP (natural language processing) approach could further e-democracy by increasing citizens' participation in the decision-making process. The goal was twofold: to test whether e-democracy requirements could be meet using advanced linguistic technology and to test whether augmented phrase structure grammars (APSGs) were robust and well-assessed enough to use in a real-world environment. Also, the aim is to develop two toolsets to improve communication between PAs and citizens in the context of urban planning: a set of NLP-based tools to simplify access to information and knowledge and a set of forum and polling devices     

Fault injection for dependability validation: a methodology andsome applications

The authors address the problem of validating the dependability of fault-tolerant computing systems, in particular, the validation of the fault-tolerance mechanisms. The proposed approach is based on the use of fault injection at the physical level on a hardware/software prototype of the system considered. The place of this approach in a validation-directed design process and with respect to related work on fault injection is clearly identified. The major requirements and problems related to the development and application of a validation methodology based on fault injection are presented and discussed. Emphasis is put on the definition, analysis, and use of the experimental dependability measures that can be obtained. The proposed methodology has been implemented through the realization of a general pin-level fault injection tool (MESSALINE), and its usefulness is demonstrated by the application of MESSALINE to the experimental validation of two systems: a subsystem of a centralized computerized interlocking system for railway control applications and a distributed system corresponding to the current implementation of the dependable communication system of the ESPRIT Delta-4 Project     

Iconic SQL: Practical Issues in the Querying of Databases through Structured Iconic Expressions

We report on an iconic interface that implements a restricted subset of SQL commands for querying a database. Database queries and the query language's tokens (verbs, adjectives, etc.) are represented by icons. To construct a query, the user composes structured iconic expressions according to the grammar of the iconic language. The language and grammar include rules for iconic construction (Quadral Composite Icons and Serial Composite Icons). In brief, the user visually queries the database by issuing structured iconic queries composed in a systematic manner. The paper describes the syntactic and semantic principles behind structured iconic expressions and the way that these principles have been implemented in an iconic interface. User evaluation is informally reported, and the role of metaphor in the design and interpretation of icons is discussed.     

Composing software services in the pervasive computing environment: Languages or APIs?

The pervasive computing environment will be composed of heterogeneous services. In this work, we have explored how a domain specific language for service composition can be implemented to capture the common design patterns for service composition, yet still retain a comparable performance to other systems written in mainstream languages such as Java. In particular, we have proposed the use of the method delegation design pattern, the resolution of service bindings through the use of dynamically adjustable characteristics and the late binding of services as key features in simplifying the service composition task. These are realised through the Scooby language, and the approach is compared to the use of APIs to define adaptable services.     

The query language Vizla

We define the query language Vizla, in which answers to queries are built up by pointing to representations of sets and functions in a conceptual model of the data base of an application, and to iconic identifiers of computational operators or control constructs. At its present stage of development the primary use of Vizla is in the validation of conceptual models of information systems, but it is to be developed into a user interface to SF, a prototyping language for information and control systems. Moreover, it can be regarded as a visual programming language in its own right. As such it is based on abstract data types     

Active diagnosis of discrete-event systems

The need for accurate and timely diagnosis of system failures and the advantages of automated diagnostic systems are well appreciated. However, diagnosability considerations are often not explicitly taken into account in the system design. In particular, design of the controller and that of the diagnostic subsystem are decoupled, and this may significantly affect the diagnosability properties of a system. The authors present an integrated approach to control and diagnosis. More specifically, they present an approach for the design of diagnosable systems by appropriate design of the system controller. This problem, which they refer to as the active diagnosis problem, is studied in the framework of discrete-event systems (DESs); it is based on prior and new results on the theory of diagnosis for DESs and on existing results in supervisory control under partial observations. They formulate the active diagnosis problem as a supervisory control problem where the legal language is an “appropriate” regular sublanguage of the regular language generated by the system. They present an iterative procedure for determining the supremal controllable, observable, and diagnosable sublanguage of the legal language and for obtaining the supervisor that synthesizes this language. This procedure provides both a controller that ensures diagnosability of the closed-loop system and a diagnoser for online failure diagnosis. The procedure can be implemented using finite-state machines and is guaranteed to converge in a finite number of iterations. The authors illustrate their approach using a simple pump-valve system     

A Rate Index for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Individuals with severe speech disability can benefit from the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) speech output assistive technology. The recent development of tools and methods for measuring AAC performance through the collection and analysis of language samples has advanced the clinical practice of this field. The definition of a new summary measure for characterizing performance of AAC systems in use is presented. The summary measure, here named rate index, is the average communication rate (in words per minute) divided by the selection rate (in bits per second) for the language sample. Thus the unit of measure for the rate index is words per bit. The rate index provides for the comparison of communication rates adjusted for differences in selection rates. Rate index comparisons can be made between individuals using similar or different systems or for one individual under different conditions. The clinical value of the rate index is the identification of opportunity for improved communication performance. Demonstrated rate index data also can serve as evidence to be used in the selection of AAC systems. The language sample data reported in this paper were collected using automated language activity monitoring (LAM).     

The Design of a Message Switching System: An Application and Evaluation of Modula

Modula is a new programming language for implementing dedicated, parallel systems. Following a systematic design technique, this paper illustrates the use of Modula for the design of a message switching communication system. A message switching system poses a number of interesting. problems: a high degree of concurrent activity exists, a variety of I/O devices need to be controlled, messages can have multiple destinations, and messages can be preempted. The strengths and weaknesses of Modula with respect to these specific problems and its utility as a general purpose language are evaluated.     

Supporting engineering applications by new data base processing concepts—An experience report

Data base management systems for nonstandard applications (nonstandard data base systems, NDBS), in particular for engineering applications, nowadays constitute one of the most important challenges in the area of data base research. Some major obstacles are concerned with problems of modeling and processing complex engineering objects. Some new system architectures have been proposed, and appropriate concepts for handling the new types of application objects have been developed over the past few years.Based on PRIMA, an NDBS-kernel prototype implementation, we motivate a workstation-oriented architecture for NDBS application systems. We explain a prototypical application system in the environment of VLSI-chip design, which serves as a practical examples in handling complex objects. Analyzing the weaknesses of this initial approach, we derive general concepts for application linkage, discussing, in particular, key issues for an efficient object processing and language binding.     

Literate Specification: Using Design Rationale to Support Formal Methods in the Development of Human-Machine Interfaces

The design of safety-critical user interfaces is typically very different from that of many other applications. Reactor control systems and aircraft cockpits are complex and dynamic, open to input from many different users and devices. A number of formal notations, including Z and temporal logic, have been developed to address these problems. They provide precise and concise means of representing a potential design before designers incur the expense of implementation. Consequently, government bodies and commercial organizations have recommended that these techniques be used when tendering for their contracts. However, there are a number of limitations that restrict the use of mathematical specifications for interface development in large scale projects. In particular, formal notations cannot easily be used to coordinate the activities of human factors and systems engineering teams. This creates particular difficulties if some group members have only a limited understanding of discrete mathematics. A further problem is that the development of a safety-critical application may take many months, or even years, to complete. This creates difficulties because abstract mathematical specifications cannot be used easily by new members of a development team to understand past design decisions. To avoid these limitations I have developed a literate approach to interface specification. This technique uses a formal development language and a semiformal design rationale to support the design of safety-critical user interfaces.     

Communication infrastructure in distributed scheduling

The emergence of distributed artificial intelligent (DAI) introduced a new approach to solve scheduling problems by a set of scheduling systems that interact with each other in the problem-solving process. In this paper, we describe a communication infrastructure to handle connection and communication between distributed Internet scheduling systems for distributed applications. First, we present an agent model of distributed scheduling systems where agents can communicate and coordinate activities with each other via an agent communication language. Then, we define the syntax and semantics for the agent communication languages, and negotiation mechanism. Following that, we discuss the design and development of the prototype for the multi-agent scheduling systems. We conclude with a discussion of communication issues for heterogeneous agent-based scheduling systems to solve distributed scheduling problems.     

Language, communication, social interaction and the design of human-computer interfaces

The importance of human sciences to the design of information technology is now generally recognized. As part of this recognition there is an interest in employing findings about language, communication and social interaction in design. In particular there has been a great deal of recent interest in the use of the methods and findings of conversation analysis, a sociological approach to the investigation of the structure of human conversation. The paper discusses the rationale for the use of such findings, outlines directions currently being pursued in this area, and provides a bibliography of recently-published and forthcoming research.