A Framework for the Automatic
Generation of Software Tutoring
Javier Contreras
Francisco Saiz
IIC
Universidad Autónoma
MADRID (Spain)
Univ. Autónoma de Madrid
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CADUI'96 - 5-7 June 1996 - FUNDP Namur
Introduction
• Interactive Systems increasingly harder to use
• Help of quality is needed but we have
– “the same text as before, in a Window”
– lacking capture of dynamics in HCI
• Tutoring better than traditional Help
Univ. Autónoma de Madrid
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CADUI'96 - 5-7 June 1996 - FUNDP Namur
Example 1: Current Help Style
• Dual Visualization
Problem
• Difficult to
remember all steps
• Parts and Widgets
referred to may not
be present in the
actual interface
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Present Tutoring Drawbacks
• Simulation with prefabricated examples
– Working / Learning, two dissociated activities
– Time expensive
• Duplicates the work of the designer
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CADUI'96 - 5-7 June 1996 - FUNDP Namur
TWIW: Teach me While I Work
• Built on top of Humanoid (Szekely et al.)
– Benefits from the Model-Based Interface Design Paradigm
• Integrated in the application
– Tutoring done with the real application
– Learning and Working can be done at the same time
• Variable degree of flexibility in face of user actions,
according to the designer’s criteria
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Ex. 2: User working under TWIW (1/3)
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Ex. 2: User working under TWIW (2/3)
1
2
3
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Ex. 2: User working under TWIW (3/3)
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• Tutoring Mode: free
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The architecture of TWIW (1/2)
• Task Models
Task Prototype
Atomic Task
:activable
:interaction
Interaction Prototype
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Composite Task
:where
:behaviour
:command
:status
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:name
:description
:active
:tutoring-info
}
}
:subtasks
Tutoring-Info
:pre-action
:post-action
:mode
:filter
CADUI'96 - 5-7 June 1996 - FUNDP Namur
The architecture of TWIW (2/2)
Event
Matching
1
TA1
TA2
2
TT
2
TA3
2
Task
Manager
• Task Manager
• Matching
• Tutoring Task
Wait for Next Event
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TME: Task Models Editor
3
2
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Conclusion
• Advantages
– Highly interactive tutoring
– Flexible tutoring style
– Easily adapted to other uses
• Future Work
– Improvement of Task models
– Usability tests
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Thank you for your attention!
Univ. Autónoma de Madrid
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CADUI'96 - 5-7 June 1996 - FUNDP Namur