DESIGNING A GRAPHICS APPLICATION INTERFACE.

This paper describes a systematic approach that can be followed by developers of educational courseware which contains graduated learning capabilities to accommodate a diverse group of users. The paper first presents and discusses a unified conceptual model of a computer-integrated engineering system where graphics plays an important function in the user interface. Second, this paper addresses an overall approach to be taken to interface design and the role graphics can assume. The development of an interface is then examined from both the viewpoint of the user and the courseware implementor. Computer generated displays are included which illustrate the use of the Graphical Kernel System (GKS) in picture generation and modification. The examples are chosen from interactive structural engineering courseware developed by the authors at Lehigh University.