Patterns and models for automated user interface construction: in search of the missing links

This paper starts with an analysis of current or proven model and pattern-based user interface development methods and techniques. It discusses how these approaches facilitate the construction process and enhance the overall flexibility, usability and user experience of the resulting software. It is shown that HCI patterns meanwhile can contribute heavily to all development aspects of interactive systems. In order to integrate patterns, task, dialog, and object-oriented models to further automate user interface construction, the paper tightly couples these seemingly disparate development paradigms to allow a more powerful interplay. Thereby some of the missing links are identified for letting the pattern-based automated generation of complex parts of high-quality and media-rich applications become a routine job. A well-known smart phone app is examined to demonstrate some steps of the new approach.