Steinar Kristoffersen

Empirical assessment of MDE in industry

This paper presents some initial results from a twelve-month empirical research study of model driven engineering (MDE). Using largely qualitative questionnaire and interview methods we investigate and document a range of technical, organizational and social factors that apparently influence organizational responses to MDE: specifically, its perception as a successful or unsuccessful organizational intervention. We then outline a range of lessons learned. Whilst, as with all qualitative research, these lessons should be interpreted with care, they should also be seen as providing a greater understanding of MDE practice in industry, as well as shedding light on the varied, and occasionally surprising, social, technical and organizational factors that affect success and failure. We conclude by suggesting how the next phase of the research will attempt to investigate some of these issues from a different angle and in greater depth.

“Making place” to make IT work: empirical explorations of HCI for mobile CSCW

This paper addresses issues of user interface design, relating to ease of use, of handheld CSCW. In particular, we are concerned with the requirements that arise from situations in which a traditionally designed mobile computer with a small keyboard and screen, may not be easily used. This applies to many mobile use contexts, such as inspection work and engineering in the field. By examining two such settings, we assert that what is usually pointed to as severe shortcomings of mobile computing today, for example: awkward keyboard, small display and unreliable networks, are really implications from a conceptual HCI design that emphasise unstructured, unlimited input; a rich, continuous visual feedback channel and marginal use of sound. We introduce MOTILE, a small prototype that demonstrates some alternative ideas about HCI for mobile devices. We suggest that identifying complementing user interface paradigms for handheld CSCW may enhance our understanding not only of mobile computing or handheld CSCW, but the CSCW field as a whole.

Designing sociable IT for public use

Service providers increasingly use self-service systems, such as kiosk and automata that offer faster and more flexible service. Most of us are familiar with appliances for buying and validating tickets, purchasing soft drinks or getting the newspaper. We book tables in restaurants and hire cars using hotel lobby kiosks. Unfortunately, many such systems confuse and annoy their users. Thus, information technology design for the public space poses distinct challenges. Yet, it is relatively unmapped within our field. Based on an ethnographic study of the purchase and validation of ticketless travel for an airport train, this paper shows how such systems need an extended framework of usability principles, which goes beyond well-known interaction design guidelines.

Design ideas for IT in public spaces

This paper examines the usability issues involved in ticketless travelling with an airport train. The main contribution of this paper is that it describes actual use situations in detail. We show how users’ intentions are difficult to anticipate, unless in explicit communication, e.g., with people whose job it is to help out with using the system. Being conspicuously assisted, however, only aggravates a situation where users usually prefer anonymity. Given a “private in public” type of design, users had little chance of learning from watching others. Moreover, users were quickly annoyed when they struggled with the machine. They seemed to treat it as an agent for the provider rather than an assistant or tool for themselves. At the end of this paper, we outline and illustrate some new design ideas, which we think ought to be considered for future designs of IT in public spaces.

A Preliminary Experiment of Checking Usability Principles with Formal Methods

Theoretical computer science has been occupied with formal methods since the beginning. It has had its share of challenges, though. Often, excessive additional work is required to re-specify applications precisely in a new formalism, so that they can be analyzed algorithmically. With more model-based software engineering, this may have changed. In many instances, specifications are now complete and updated throughout the systems development life-cycle, primarily to drive rather than to document the process. Thus, formal approaches have become more realistic. This paper looks at one experiment with automatic usability evaluation, based on a structured user interface specification. It shows that there are promising results ahead. Examples of automatic usability evaluation based on a widely-use user-interface specification language are presented. Benefits of formal specification cannot be reaped, however, unless this approach is bolstered by a purposeful design of the modeling techniques and languages themselves. Thus, some requirements of the formalisms for model-based usability engineering conclude the paper.

A Collaborative Enterprise Framework to Support Engineering Changes in Manufacturing Planning and Control

Abstract The main challenges for the enterprises are complexity of the products and uncertainty of the processes. This challenge involves engineering change that frequently requires redesign or altering the products which may call for enterprise agility and flexibility. To meet such a requirement, enterprises require better tools for resilient manufacturing planning and control, and execution. Due to the limitations of the enterprise resource planning (ERP), there is a question how would the future enterprise systems will look like. To approach an answer to this question, this research paper provides an analysis of engineering changes, its characteristics, problems and their implications. Against the background, a conception of future collaborative enterprise model (CoPIDSS: Collaborative planning, information and decision support system) is proposed. In this paper, we discuss the importance of collaborative planning for enterprise resilient manufacturing planning and control. We have analysed user stories provided by industry as scenarios, to understand the collaborative processes in their workplaces and their needs for collaborative platform support. This paper aims to address the following research questions: How does engineering changes and error handling affect the degree of collaboration and decision making within and across enterprises and how CoPDISS helps to overcome this? Is the storage and management of knowledge the one of the key factor to engineering changes and error handling control in a collaboration and decision environment?

Pervasive Integration by Autonomous Agents

Integration of applications is costly and cumbersome. We propose an approach to automate integration among pervasive, autonomous agents, in which internal process specifications are matched with in coming messages at runtime. The core of the approach is an efficient matching module, which we demonstrate to be working well for a simple game of Blackjack played between agents that have different implementations. Finally, we outline some strategies for dealing with errors which arise when the algorithm has to choose between alternatives.

Co-operative Production Planning: Dynamic Documents in Manufacturing

This case study describes the manufacturing of advanced, high-value maritime vessel equipment as an opportunistic, dynamic, knowledge-needy and collaborative process, in which planning and construction is closely integrated, rather than as a repeatable physical assembly that takes place in phases, for each of which planning is pre-hoc and pre-emptive. We assert that this is one reason that the anachronistic perspective of “documents as documentation”, contributes to actors’ conflicting views of their project. This paper examines these difficulties, offers a theoretical examination and design implications for next generation industries to consider.

Supply chain configuration in low volume, high customized production environment: Can pre-project planning stabilize your supply chain?

This study aims to investigate the concept of supply chain configuration in low volume, high customized production environment and examines its contribution towards stabilizing the supply chain when implementing value improving practices.

Production, takt and lead time variation: Production planning and tardiness probabilities in small-lot production

This paper describes the production planning and control processes of two companies, which interact closely in the maritime supply chain. Our claim is that current theoretical models of the near-static tardiness that may be observed are insufficient. We offer an alternative, probability-based approach. This approach and some associated concepts, such as dedicated manufacturing, the accordion effect, the fixed tardiness anomaly and unlucky units may be used by small-lot, high-competencies and value-adding, innovative manufacturers, to revise the manufacturing planning and control approaches.