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Instance Interaction Unit
Problem
An object or an entity needs to be presented to the user.
Principle
Presentation
Forces
- Are you sure it will be perceived as an object by the user?
- Tune the amount of data to be presented to the minimal necessary for the task involved.
Solution
Select the type of the object to present (the class).
Define what information it is needed to show (Display Set), what actions can be performed (Actions) & what other related data can be accessed to complement the information (Navigation).
Rationale
Objects present in the domain are easy to recognize for users in the system as well. Keeping the same granularity in the User Interface helps to communicate with the users in their domain language.
Examples
Specification
As suggested in the solution section, three elemental patterns will help to define the semantics of an Instance IU.
- A Display Set describes what information from the object will be shown to the user.
- Actions will provide access to functionality related to this object in context.
- Navigation offers extra information related to this object. The user can explore it if needed.
Representation
An Instance Interaction Unit is represented by a wireframe box showing its name with a small circle in the upper-right corner.
