A DSS user interface model to provide consistency and adaptability

摘要

The cost of a DSS user interface can run as high as 60 to 70 percent of the total cost of building a DSS. It is important that the interface be adaptable to different users' needs and also communicate consistent commands to the internal components of the DSS. Many DSS interfaces have been developed to be either consistent or adaptable, but not both. A review of literature reveals that prior models of the DSS user interface are oriented largely toward programmers and systems designers rather than end-users. The focus has been on providing consistent, recognizable commands to the internal DSS components. However, another objective of a DSS is to respond to the unique requests of individual end-users and prior models are generally deficient in meeting this objective. We propose a DSS user interface model that provides an interface adaptable to the various styles and needs of different users yet consistent to internal DSS components. A precisioning procedure is suggested as the basis for implementing the proposed model. This procedure articulates user-adaptive terms and system-consistent terms to provide an interface with both adaptable and consistent characteristics. Two examples from a telecommunications DSS illustrate the utility of the proposed procedure.