An interface for the acquisition and display of office procedures

Abstract

A central problem in the design of intelligent office systems is the acquisition of knowledge about office procedures. In this paper we describe a graphical interface for the acquisition and display of office procedures from a goal- and plan-based perspective. The DACRON interface is based on a model of the office workers' view of work. DACRON supports the acquisition of plan knowledge by providing graphical representations of domain entities from the users' point of view. It allows the display and view of office procedures graphically. An experimental usability study, involving more than twenty subjects, shows that DACRON can be used to acquire plan knowledge and give relevant advice.