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On the Requirement from Practice for Meaningful Variability in Visual Notation
Abstract
This research-in-progress paper proposes the need for a move towards more meaningful variability of visual notations. Evidence accumulated via an online survey on the requirements practitioners have for visual notations, indicate the need for variability of a modeling languages visual notation. Widely used modeling languages in practice such as UML and BPMN do not support redesign of the visual notation of core constructs without modifying or extending the underlying abstract syntax and semantics (e.g., UML stereotypes, BPMN extensions). The expressed need to vary commonly used visual notations depending on particular users or contexts, while not changing the underlying modeling language itself, poses a set of research challenges discussed here.
... However, the authors did not specify the precise factors that this depends upon. Ref. [25] conducted a study on the cognitive efficiency of notation, which is indicated by its intelligibility, through a syntactic analysis based on the principles of notation physics. Objective measures, such as interpretative speed and accuracy, and a subjective measure of ease of use were used to measure the intelligibility of the dependent variable. ...
As technology advances and cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, the task of recognising and understanding malicious activities becomes more complex. This persistent issue is widely acknowledged and extensively documented within the cybersecurity community. Attack modelling techniques (AMTs), such as attack graphs, have emerged as valuable tools in aiding cyberattack perception. These visualisation tools offer crucial insights into the complex relationships between various components within a system or network, shedding light on potential attack paths and vulnerabilities. This paper proposes an attack graph visual syntax method to improve cyberattack perception among experts and non-experts. The proposed approach was developed to streamline complexity and enhance clarity, thus augmenting the interpretability for users by enhancing visual structural components, such as hue, chromaticity, and line parameters. The proposed attack graph (pag) was empirically evaluated against the adapted attack graph (aag) presented in the literature. The empirical evaluation (n = 83) was conducted through a 3 × 2 × 2 factorial design and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures. The participants were classified according to their respective background cohorts into expert and non-expert (expert n = 37, non-expert n = 46) and then grouped into two groups: proposed attack graph (pag) and adapted attack graph (aag) (pag n = 41, aag n = 42). The empirical results demonstrated that while the proposed attack graph (pag) implemented various visual modifications such as brighter hues, denser line structures, and varied shapes, these enhancements did not significantly improve the perception of cyberattacks among individuals who lack expertise in the field, including corporate executives. Moreover, the use of variables such as colour, tone, and line width/density/structure did not help objects in the graph be distinguished more effectively. This paper provides significant insights into the impact of visual enhancements on cyberattack perception, highlighting that visual enhancements alone may not be sufficient to improve cyberattack perception for individuals lacking expertise in the field.
... With respect to the goal "Ease of understanding [Process flow]" in the refinement hierarchy shown in Fig. 5, there are clear claims that suggest favoring the task "Use explicit gateways" over implicit gateways [29,24]. Furthermore, support for the same goal is given through the general task "Allow multiple notation variants" [35]. The choice for realizing the latter task is furthermore supported by the decomposition hierarchy of the "Accuracy of understanding" goal in Fig. 6, which is justified to have negative influence accuracy of underestanding by claims from [36,12,28]. ...
Colour is used in many conceptual models and is discussed intensively since MOODY has published his ‘Physics of Notation’. Yet, choosing the right colour for a certain constructs of a conceptual model is difficult but crucial. Using a colour which is not appropriate can lead to visual stress as well as too much or too little emphasis on a construct. The aim of this paper is to give a systematization of colour for conceptual modeling by reviewing theories of colour vision, colour harmony and visual attention. Based on this review we provide colour combinations for different conceptual modeling colour scenarios.
signified by a greater intensity of research and volume of papers on the topic. What is becoming apparent, however, is that when it comes to conceptual modeling there are quite different views and opinions. These differences may be beneficial for creating a debate that takes the field forward, but they can also lead to confusion. The purpose of this panel is for leading researchers to identify and discuss their views on conceptual modeling. In particular we will debate the definition, purpose and benefits of conceptual modeling for the field of simulation. Through the discussion we hope to highlight common ground and key areas of difference. 1 INTRODUCTION The growing interest in conceptual modeling for simulation is demonstrated by a more active research community in this domain. Over the last decade there has been an increase in the number of conference and journal papers on conceptual modeling, and an edited book on the topic (Robinson et al, 2010). Recent Winter Simulation Conferences have even included introductory and advanced tutorials on conceptual modeling. A closer look at this work shows that there are quite different opinions about the nature, purpose and benefits of conceptual modeling in simulation. Although such differences are quite normal for an emerging, or even established, field, they can lead to confusion. So rather than continue a debate through range of perspectives on conceptual modeling. We do not aim to reconcile the differences in opinion, but simply to express our different views and so highlight where our perspectives differ. The ensuing panel discussion aims to help us understand how and why our views differ as the basis for moving towards an accommodation of views. 2812 978-1-4673-9743-8/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE
Conceptual modelling involves many higher order cognitive processes, such as relational reasoning and abstraction, which are based on integration and maintenance of information. Evidence from cognitive psychology suggests that these processes are subject to individual differences which cannot be explained by training and experience alone. In this review, we study how the cognitive processes that enable modelling interact to produce modelling behaviour, and where in this process we can find individual differences that may explain some of the variation in performance seen in actual modelling settings. We discuss interaction between working memory, executive control and attention as they facilitate relational reasoning and abstraction, which we consider to be key cognitive processes in modelling. Eventually, a thorough understanding of modelling cognition can help us to provide better cognitive support for modellers.
Goal-oriented modelling is one of the most important research developments in the requirements engineering (RE) field. This
paper conducts a systematic analysis of the visual syntax of i*, one of the leading goal-oriented languages. Like most RE notations, i* is highly visual. Yet surprisingly, there has been little debate about or modification to its graphical conventions since
it was proposed more than a decade ago. We evaluate the i* visual notation using a set of principles for designing cognitively effective visual notations (the Physics of Notations).
The analysis reveals some serious flaws in the notation together with some practical recommendations for improvement. The
results can be used to improve its effectiveness in practice, particularly for communicating with end users. A broader goal
of the paper is to raise awareness about the importance of visual representation in RE research, which has historically received
little attention.
KeywordsGoal modelling-
i*-Visualisation-Visual syntax-Evaluation-Visual notation-Visual language
Metamodeling is raising more and more interest in the field of language engineering. While this approach is now well understood for defining abstract syntaxes, formally defining concrete syntaxes with metamodels is still a challenge. Concrete syntaxes are traditionally expressed with rules, conforming to EBNF-like grammars, which can be processed by compiler compilers to generate parsers. Unfortunately, these generated parsers produce concrete syntax trees, leaving a gap with the abstract syntax defined by metamodels, and further ad-hoc hand-coding is required. In this paper we propose a new kind of specification for concrete syntaxes, which takes advantage of metamodels to generate fully operational tools (such as parsers or text generators). The principle is to map abstract syntaxes to concrete syntaxes via bidirectional mapping-models with support for both model-to-text, and text- to-model transformations.
BPMN 2.0 is an OMG standard and one of the leading process modelling notations. Although the current language specification
recognises the importance of defining a visual notation carefully, it does so by relying on common sense, intuition and emulation
of common practices, rather than by adopting a rigorous scientific approach. This results in a number of suboptimal language
design decisions that may impede effective model-mediated communication between stakeholders. We demonstrate and illustrate
this by looking at BPMN 2.0 through the lens of the Physics of Notations, a collection of evidence-based principles that together
form a theory of notation design. This work can be considered a first step towards making BPMN 2.0’s visual notation more
cognitively effective.
Qualitative research involves the use of qualitative data, such as interviews, documents, and participant observation, to understand and explain social phenomena As the focus of information systems research shifts from technological to managerial and organizational issues, qualitative research methods become increasingly useful. This example of ''living scholarship'' within MISQ Discovery's worldwide web archive prov,des an overview of qualitative research for the newcomer and a set of resources for those more experienced. The work discusses philosophical perspectives that can inform qualitative research, qualitative research methods, techniques, and modes of analysis. Links to citation lists, Internet resources, software tools, and calls for papers are also included.
Much research has been devoted over the years to investigating and advancing the techniques and tools used by analysts when they model. As opposed to what academics, software providers and their resellers promote as should be happening, the aim of this research was to determine whether practitioners still embraced conceptual modeling seriously. In addition, what are the most popular techniques and tools used for conceptual modeling? What are the major purposes for which conceptual modeling is used? The study found that the top six most frequently used modeling techniques and methods were ER diagramming, data flow diagramming, systems flowcharting, workflow modeling, UML, and structured charts. Modeling technique use was found to decrease significantly from smaller to medium-sized organizations, but then to increase significantly in larger organizations (proxying for large, complex projects). Technique use was also found to significantly follow an inverted U-shaped curve, contrary to some prior explanations. Additionally, an important contribution of this study was the identification of the factors that uniquely influence the decision of analysts to continue to use modeling, viz., communication (using diagrams) to/from stakeholders, internal knowledge (lack of) of techniques, user expectations management, understanding models' integration into the business, and tool/software deficiencies. The highest ranked purposes for which modeling was undertaken were database design and management, business process documentation, business process improvement, and software development. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Language-centric methodologies, triggered by the success of Domain Specific Languages, rely on precise specifications of modeling languages. While the definition of the abstract syntax is standardized by the 4-layer metamodel architecture of the OMG, most language specifications are held informally for the description of the semantics and the (graphical) concrete syntax. This paper is tackling the problem of specifying the concrete syntax of a language in a formal and non-ambiguous way. We propose to define the concrete syntax by an extension of the already existing metamodel of the abstract syntax, which describes the concepts of the language, with a second layer describing the graphical representation of concepts by visual elements. In addition, an intermediate layer defines how elements of both layers are related to each other. Unlike similar approaches that became the basis of some CASE tools, the intermediate layer is not a pure mapping from abstract to concrete syntax but connects both layers in a flexible, declarative way. We illustrate our approach with a simplified form of statecharts.
A variety of researches are examined from the standpoint of information theory. It is shown that the unaided observer is severely limited in terms of the amount of information he can receive, process, and remember. However, it is shown that by the use of various techniques, e.g., use of several stimulus dimensions, recoding, and various mnemonic devices, this informational bottleneck can be broken. 20 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
We investigate the category structure of categories common to conceptual modeling languages (i.e., the types used by languages such as actor, process, goal, or restriction) to study whether they more closely approximate a discrete or graded category. We do this for three distinct groups: students, beginning modelers and experienced modelers. We find that overall most categories exhibit more of a graded structure, with experienced modelers displaying this even more strongly than the other groups. We discuss the consequences of these results for (conceptual) modeling in general, and in particular argue that when a model contains graded categories, it should follow that the (conceptual) validity of instantiations of it should be judged in a graded fashion as well.
The Physics of Notations [9] (PoN) is a design theory presenting nine principles that can be used to evaluate and improve the cognitive effectiveness of a visual notation. The PoN has been used to analyze existing standard visual notations (such as BPMN, UML, etc.), and is commonly used for evaluating newly introduced visual notations and their extensions. However, due to the rather vague and abstract formulation of the PoN’s principles, they have received different interpretations in their operationalization. To address this problem, there have been attempts to formalize the principles, however only a very limited number of principles was covered. This research-in-progress paper aims to better understand the difficulties inherent in operationalizing the PoN, and better separate aspects of PoN, which can potentially be formulated in mathematical terms from those grounded in user-specific considerations.
Conceptual models play an increasingly important role for business process engineering, information systems development, and customizing of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Despite the widespread interest in conceptual modeling, relatively little is known to date on the level and nature of conceptual modeling use in practice. Therefore our study investigates how practitioners use conceptual modeling. In particular, we address the following three key questions: To what extent do practitioners use conceptual modeling techniques and tools? How relevant is conceptual modeling for certain purposes? Are there barriers and success factors in using conceptual modeling? This paper informs information systems professionals about recent trends in the area of conceptual modeling. The results of our study should be considered when developing syllabuses for modeling courses as well as when judging the relevance of various research streams in the area of conceptual modeling.
We investigate the category structure of categories common to conceptual modeling languages (i.e., the types used by languages such as actor, process, goal, or restriction) to study whether they more closely approximate a discrete or graded category. We do this for three distinct groups: students, beginning modelers and experienced modelers. We find that overall most categories exhibit more of a graded structure, with experienced modelers displaying this even more strongly than the other groups. We discuss the consequences of these results for (conceptual) modeling in general, and in particular argue that when a model contains graded categories, it should follow that the (conceptual) validity of instantiations of it should be judged in a graded fashion as well.
The attentional effects of animation on the processing of information from node-link maps and text were explored. The authors randomly assigned college students to receive a static node-link map presentation (n =40), an animated node-link map presentation (n =37), a static text presentation (n =29), or an animated text presentation (n =27). The participants were asked to recall the information 48 hr later. The participants recalled more main-idea information from animated node-link maps than from static maps or animated text. There were no differences with regard to presentation or display format on the recall of microstructural information.
Within the context of (software) language engineering, language de-scriptions are considered first class citizens. One of the ways to describe languag-es is by means of a metamodel, which represents the abstract syntax of the language. Unfortunately, in this process many language engineers forget the fact that a language also needs a concrete syntax and a semantics. In this paper I argue that neither of these can be discarded from a language description. In a good lan-guage description the abstract syntax is the central element, which functions as pivot between concrete syntax and semantics. Furthermore, both concrete syntax and semantics should be described in a well-defined formalism.
Visual notations form an integral part of the language of software engineering (SE). Yet historically, SE researchers and notation designers have ignored or undervalued issues of visual representation. In evaluating and comparing notations, details of visual syntax are rarely discussed. In designing notations, the majority of effort is spent on semantics, with graphical conventions largely an afterthought. Typically, no design rationale, scientific or otherwise, is provided for visual representation choices. While SE has developed mature methods for evaluating and designing semantics, it lacks equivalent methods for visual syntax. This paper defines a set of principles for designing cognitively effective visual notations: ones that are optimized for human communication and problem solving. Together these form a design theory, called the Physics of Notations as it focuses on the physical (perceptual) properties of notations rather than their logical (semantic) properties. The principles were synthesized from theory and empirical evidence from a wide range of fields and rest on an explicit theory of how visual notations communicate. They can be used to evaluate, compare, and improve existing visual notations as well as to construct new ones. The paper identifies serious design flaws in some of the leading SE notations, together with practical suggestions for improving them. It also showcases some examples of visual notation design excellence from SE and other fields.
UML is a visual language. However surprisingly, there has been very little attention in either research or practice to the visual
notations used in UML. Both academic analyses and official revisions to the standard have focused almost exclusively on semantic issues, with little
debate about the visual syntax. We believe this is a major oversight and that as a result, UML’s visual development is lagging behind its semantic development. The lack of attention to visual aspects is surprising given
that the form of visual representations is known to have an equal if not greater effect on understanding and problem solving
performance than their content. The UML visual notations were developed in a bottom-up manner, by reusing and synthesising existing notations, with choice of graphical
conventions based on expert consensus. We argue that this is an inappropriate basis for making visual representation decisions
and they should be based on theory and empirical evidence about cognitive effectiveness. This paper evaluates the visual syntax
of UML using a set of evidence-based principles for designing cognitively effective visual notations. The analysis reveals some
serious design flaws in the UML visual notations together with practical recommendations for fixing them.
The syntax of modeling languages is usually defined in two steps. The abstract syntax identifies modeling concepts whereas the concrete syntax clarifies how these modeling concepts are rendered by visual and/or textual elements. While the abstract syntax is often defined in form of a metamodel there is no such standard format yet for concrete syntax definitions; at least as long as the concrete syntax is not purely text-based and classical grammar-based approaches are not applicable. In a previous paper, we proposed to extend the metamodeling approach also to concrete syntax definitions. In this paper, we present an analysis technique for our concrete syntax definitions that detects inconsistencies between the abstract and the concrete syntax of a modeling language. We have implemented our approach on top of the automatic decision procedure SIMPLIFY.
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