Clarity from confusion: Using intended interactions to design information systems

Jeffrey V. Nickerson, James E. Corter

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Two tools are described that help designers visualize the structure of a system in the requirements phase of a project. First, a matrix is constructed that represents the tendency of components to interact. The matrix is derived from sequence diagrams, which in turn are based on textual scenarios. This interaction matrix is transformed into a structure plot of the system, showing a graph of the essential connections between actors. Second, this same matrix is used to generate a sequence plot: a sequence diagram optimized for problem-solving. We illustrate the effectiveness of this approach, first with a simulation study, and later with a participant-based study of inference from diagrams. The results suggest that a similarity-based approach to information systems design can generate new testable tools. Pragmatically, the tools help novices and experts alike by automatically generating candidate system configurations in the form of structural diagrams, and by generating better sequence diagrams.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication15th Americas Conference on Information Systems 2009, AMCIS 2009
Pages1826-1835
Number of pages10
StatePublished - 2009
Event15th Americas Conference on Information Systems 2009, AMCIS 2009 - San Francisco, CA, United States
Duration: 6 Aug 20099 Aug 2009

Publication series

Name15th Americas Conference on Information Systems 2009, AMCIS 2009
Volume3

Conference

Conference15th Americas Conference on Information Systems 2009, AMCIS 2009
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Francisco, CA
Period6/08/099/08/09

Keywords

  • Information systems design
  • Insight
  • Network scaling
  • Sequence diagrams
  • Visualization

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