Formal interactive systems analysis and usability inspection methods: Two incompatible worlds?

Loer, K; Harrison, M

doi:10.1007/3-540-44675-3_11

Formal interactive systems analysis and usability inspection methods: Two incompatible worlds?

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Michael Harrison ORCiD

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Abstract

We present our view on how a formal technique for the analysis of interactive systems can be used to support ‘discount’usability inspection methods. As a demonstration, we present a snapshot of our work on supporting heuristic evaluation and on the analysis of selected usability properties. Our method focuses on the exhaustive analysis of functional properties. We claim that the benefits gained by a formal approach like the one presented here justify its extra costs. Moreover, we believe these costs can be kept comparably low by making the analysis technique flexible enough to support a number of other (informal) analysis techniques throughout the different stages of the design process.In fact, for some types of safety-critical systems the use of formal design techniques is required by authorities (see, for example, UK MoD Defense Standard 00-56, safety integrity level S4 of systematic failure integrity).