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ECMA TR/61

User interface taxonomy

1st edition, June 1992

User interface design is an area where research and standardization are still in progress. Therefore, this technical report cannot be exhaustive.

Most existing work on user interface models has focussed on the technical aspects, with particular emphasis on implementation issues. By contrast, this report attempts to concentrate on conceptual aspects. For this reason, it is not always easy to relate the model described in this technical report to those proposed by others.

This Ecma Technical Report describes user interface elements and concepts and their relationships and dependencies. It should support the description of existing user interfaces and the specification of future ones in terms of these elements and concepts and their structure.

It is not the purpose of this Ecma Technical Report to give value judgement on the choices for specific user interfaces.

This Ecma Technical Report should assist in improving communication on user interfaces in general by providing a common framework and terminology. It might also assist:

  • the designer/implementor of user interfaces and of user interface management systems;
  • the vendor when describing user interfaces of software products;
  • the procurer/buyer when defining user interface requirements;
  • standardisation groups.
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Classification

Technical CommitteeTC35 (this TC is no longer active)