Workflow User Interfaces Patterns Dra. Josefina Guerrero García Dr. Juan Manuel González Calleros Dr. Jean Vanderdonckt * Facultad de Ciencias de la Computación Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla *Université catholique de Louvain Email: [email protected][email protected]
A collection of user interface design patterns for workflow infor¬ma¬tion systems is presented that contains forty three resource patterns classified in seven categories. These categories and their corre¬sponding patterns have been logically identified from the task life cycle based on offering and allocation operations. Each Workflow User Interface Pattern (WUIP) is characterized by properties expressed in the PLML markup language for expressing patterns and augmented by additional attributes and models at¬tached to the pattern: the abstract user interface and the corresponding task model. These models are specified in a User Interface Description Langua¬ge. All WUIPs are stored in a library and can be retrieved within a workflow editor that links each workflow pattern to its corresponding WUIP, thus giving rise to a user interface for each workflow pattern
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1. Workflow User Interfaces Patterns Dra. Josefina Guerrero
Garca Dr. Juan Manuel Gonzlez Calleros Dr. Jean Vanderdonckt *
Facultad de Ciencias de la Computacin Benemrita Universidad Autnoma
de Puebla *Universit catholique de Louvain Email:
[email protected][email protected]
2. Outline Introduction State of the art Developing user
interface for a workflow information system Workflow user interface
patterns Case study and tool support Conclusion
3. 3Introduction (1/3) Business Domain IT Domain Workflow The
automation of a business process, in whole or part, during which
documents, information or tasks are passed from one participant to
another for action, according to a set of procedural rules.
4. Introduction (2/3) The challenges to have a method to
support the development of an IS from a workflow specification are
considerable. Considering just the specification of the required
user interfaces: Execution of work Resource allocation Control of
the workflow Agendas and work lists
5. Introduction (3/3) A collection of workflow patterns has
been identified that provide the basis for an in-depth comparison
of commercially available workflow systems: Control-flow patterns
indicate basic routing constructs of the process in a workflow.
Workflow data patterns are aimed at capturing the various ways in
which data is represented. Workflow resource patterns correspond to
the manner in which tasks are allocated to resources.
6. State of the art The rationale to identifying workflow
resource patterns was the need to master the many way according
work can be distributed. There is not knowledge or guidance on how
such patterns could be implemented in an IS. We explore a
systematic manner to develop UIs for each workflow resource pattern
following its current definition
(http://www.workflowpatterns.com/patterns/resource/)
7. Developing user interface for aworkflow information system
(1/4)Why user interfaces to workflow information systems?
Traditionally, workflow IS are designed to be used by different
types of users to accomplish a variety of tasks and in different
situations. One important aspect to consider is the design of the
user interfaces of the systems. When planning a user interface, a
designer should focus on the needs of end users. The interaction of
the users takes place on two different levels: the workflow manager
and the user. Workflow software rarely supports designers in
developing user interfaces.
8. Developing user interface for aworkflow information system
(2/4) Method overview
9. Developing user interface for aworkflow information system
(3/4)Identifying workflow components: What to do? Processes
specification How to do it? Tasks specification Where to do it?
Organizational units specification Who will carry out it? Job and
user specification Whom? Applying workflow resource patterns
10. Developing user interface for aworkflow information system
(3/4)Identifying workflow components: What to do? Processes
specification How to do it? Tasks specification Where to do it?
Organizational units specification Who will carry out it? Job and
user specification Whom? Applying workflow resource patterns
11. Developing user interface for a workflow information system
(4/4)UsiXML structure Model-driven engineering method
12. Workflow user interface patterns (1/6) A pattern is
referred to as the abstraction from a concrete form which keeps
recurring in specific non-arbitrary contexts. Workflow patterns
refer specifically to recurrent problems and proven solutions
related to the development of workflow IS in particular, and more
broadly, of process-oriented applications.
13. Workflow user interface patterns (2/6) Workflow resource
patterns To allocate tasks to resources [Russell, 2005]
14. Classification of workflow resource patterns March 23th,
2010 - LLN Private Defense
15. Workflow user interface patterns (4/6)Methodology for
defining the WUIPs:1. Augmented UI pattern definition. A patterns
is characterized by: name, synopsis, solution and its consequences
(strengths, weakness, opportunities).2. Incorporation in the
model-driven engineering method.3. Final WUIPs.
16. Workflow user interface patterns (5/6) Describing workflow
resource patternsName Direct allocationIdentifier R-DASynopsis The
ability to specify at design time the identity of the resource that
will execute a taskStrengths To prevent the problem of non-suitable
allocationWeakness No opportunity to change the resource if he is
not available to perform the taskOpportunities To ensure task is
routed to specific resourceProblem This pattern effectively defines
a static binding of tasks to a single resourceSolution Probably the
use of deadline and escalation mechanisms when the resource becomes
overload and cannot deal with his assigned workload in a reasonable
timeframeExample Ask reviewers preferences task must only be
undertaken by Joshua Brown
17. Workflow user interface patterns (6/6)Authorization pattern
Each pattern can be selected in a workflow model editor so as to
automatically generate the specifications for both the workflow
model and the user interface model.
18. Case study and tool support (1/3) TASKS AND JOBS
IDENTIFICATION Id Author Task Organizer Reviewer 1 Find the program
committee x 2 Prepare the call for paper x 3 Distribute the call
for paper x 4 Install conference tool x 5 Configure conference tool
x
19. Case study and tool support (2/3) ASSIGNING TASKS TO
RESOURCES Task Job Resource Pattern Find the program committee
Organizer Chlo Lambin Direct allocation Prepare the call for paper
Organizer Jacques Khelil Capability based Distribute the call for
paper Organizer Jacques Khelil Retain familiar Install conference
tool Organizer Ellen Martin Capability based Configure conference
tool Organizer Ellen Martin Retain familiar
20. Case study and tool support (3/3) Workflow resource pattern
in design phase of workflow
21. Conclusion We introduced a library of user interface design
patterns that are particularly applicable to user interfaces of
workflow information systems. We have proposed an approach where a
model- based approach to develop user interface, is used in the
context of workflow systems to develop WUIPs. Each pattern (43) can
be selected in a workflow model editor so as to automatically
generate the specifications for both the workflow model and the
user interface model.
22. Join us @usixmlhttp://www.facebook.com/UsiXML BUAP
23. User Interface eXtensible Markup
Languagehttp://www.usixml.orghttp://www.usixml.euRegister as a
member of the UsiXML End-User Club
athttp://www.usixml.eu/end_user_clubFor more information and
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