MASTERMIND

MASTERMIND is a user interface generation tool. A designer specifies the features of an interface, including its dialog, presentation, and application interface, and a program is automatically generated that implements that interface. MASTERMIND is a collaborative project between USC/Information Science Institute (ISI) and the Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The MASTERMIND project aims at building a strong representation which comprehensively captures user interface components and behavior. This area of research is referred to an "model-based user interfaces" where models contain representations of user interfaces. The representations are intended to be used extensively by other researchers working on sophisticated interface problems such as multi-model interactions, 3D graphics, multimedia interfaces, etc. The MASTERMIND environment is aimed to be both a user interface design platform and a delivery platform where run-time services are provided based on the model. In the design environment, we are working on visual design tools where models can be described to the system through different means such as a user-task centered design process, task modeling using a visual representation, bottom up drag-and-drop from palette to the design space, looking up in a catalog of reusable components where each example is also model-based and can be tried out, automation of tedious repetitive aspect of design, specifying interfaces by giving examples, and synchronization among multiple representations of a design. We are building the MASTERMIND runtime environment which can automatically generate interactive help from the model. The environment will support distributed applications using CORBA technology. (MASTERMIND is an acronym that stands for "Models Allowing Shared Tools and Explicit Representations to Make Interfaces Natural to Develop".) Visit the MASTERMIND home page at ISI.