A meta-model for dynamic user interfaces

Abstract

The fundamental premise for this thesis is that society is in change on several levels. On the global scale, human migration have led to a multi-cultural society. On the local scale, increased recognition of individual traits transform how services, i.e. education, are offered. Together, they lead to both increased diversity in a population and an increased awareness of the diversity. The question is what the impact of diversity is on user interfaces for computer systems.

This thesis suggests that one consequence is an increased demand for tailored or user-configurable user interfaces. Based on the meta-model for the Unified Modeling Language (UML) 2.x, it proposes a meta-model that is capable of capturing user requirements for the individual user on the one side, the features and options of generic, reusable user interface components on the other side, and to bridge the two sides. A compliant language is then created that is specific for the Eclipse Platform. Several examples demonstrate how the language can be used to create dynamic user interfaces on this platform.