Formal pattern specifications to facilitate semi-automated user interface generation

This paper depicts potentialities of formal HCI pattern specifications with regard to facilitate the semi-automated generation of user interfaces for interactive applications. In a first step existing proven and well accepted techniques in the field of model-based user interface development are highlighted and briefly reviewed. Subsequently it is discussed how we combine model-based and pattern-oriented methods within our user interface modeling and development framework in order to partly enable automated user interface generation. In this context a concrete pattern definition approach is introduced and illustrated with tangible examples from the domain of interactive knowledge sharing applications.