     
|
Using Animation to Aid Process Flow Visualization
| Brenda J. Burkhart Bellcore 444 Hoes Lane Room 1N-211 Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA +1-908-699-2408 bjb1@cc.bellcore.com |
Marc E. Fusco Bellcore 444 Hoes Lane Room 1C-217 Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA +1-908-699-4924 mf@cc.bellcore.com |
ABSTRACT
Process flows are difficult to communicate to customers effectively, particularly if they are complex or involve multiple systems. We introduce some animation techniques that we rapidly prototyped so that systems engineering or system design proposals or decisions can be effectively communicated to customers.Keywords
Animation, visualization, simulation, prototyping, process flow.INTRODUCTION
Creating a solution for our customers usually involves the engineering and design (and implementation) of large scale software systems. These software solutions often involve multiple systems that are either new or provide new interfaces to existing systems. Prior to determining a mutually agreeable solution, a significant amount of time is spent in meetings to outline a high-level design proposal that addresses the issue. These meetings typically include a few subject matter experts who put together a system design proposal, e.g., a process flow of the solution. Recently, our expertise was requested to help engineers and customers better visualize these proposed system design solutions. Our strategy was to use computer-generated animation to communicate process flows to customers or potential users in a manner which is easy to comprehend.These process flows usually involve complex interactions among various computing systems (new operations systems, existing systems, and databases, for example). In our environment, the typical method for communicating these complex process flows is a diagram (e.g., an architecture diagram or data flow diagram) that contains the many components of the proposed solution with interfaces shown by lines and the direction of flow shown by arrows. These diagrams typically must be explained in-person by an engineer in order to be fully understood. In addition, sometimes the lines depicting the interfaces are numbered to indicate the order of the flows. The more complex these diagrams become, the harder it can be for our customers to understand the overall solution. (When they focus on individual parts, they can lose sight of the whole solution.)
We have found that using animation is an effective way to communicate concepts which may otherwise be difficult to visualize. The animations that we developed show the interconnections or interfaces among the various systems or system components by simulating a flow of information from one component to another. The order of the flows is inherent in the animation. Triggers that cause the initiation of flows are also shown in our animations, and where the trigger is user input, we have incorporated user interface prototypes in our animation sequences. We have found this to be a very useful technique for demonstrating process flows, particularly to clients who want a conceptual understanding of a complex solution. Process flow visualization also enables engineers or designers to detect inefficiencies or bottlenecks in the flow, since they are very apparent and can result in repetitive loops.
RECENT USES IN OTHER DOMAINS
A recent review of the literature shows that this visualization approach has been used in a variety of areas. The key questions that visualization is addressing across multiple domains are: "What might it look like?" and "What are the impacts?" Ervin (1992) has used three-dimensional simulations to link Geographical Information System (GIS) data and environmental models for visualizing design proposals to study the environmental impact of these designs [1]. Hall (1993) also used computer visualization for assisting the control of urban design by planning authorities and studying the impact of proposed developments [2]. Jenvey (1994) reports on the use of multimedia (i.e., computer graphic simulations) in an electrical engineering course on the study of electromagnetics to enable students to visualize what is invisible (e.g., voltages, currents)[3]. Jenvey claims this approach proved to be a great instructional aid to students who sometimes have a difficult time connecting theory and measurement.Each of these cases demonstrate the efficacy of using computer visualizations to enable people to view what is sometimes difficult to understand, assess the impact of proposed design solutions, and improve the quality of decision making. Our animations provided similar results from users.
OUR DEMONSTRATIONS
Our demonstrations show several examples of computer animations we developed [rapidly] to enable our customers to visualize our proposed solution to their problem. Our technique sometimes involves the design of a prototypical Graphical User Interface (GUI) that triggers the process flow or helps to communicate interactions within the process flow. We will provide examples of both a system-to-system flow and one in which system-to-system flows are integrated with user interface prototypes. Technical staff and technical managers from our customer organizations were the intended audience for these animations.Our last example demonstrates a visualization which was incorporated into a multimedia marketing presentation. Top level executives were the intended audience for this presentation. Because this was a marketing presentation, it offers different examples of level of detail and concreteness (e.g., less detail on systems and more realism to enable the audience to relate the flow to actual world events, such as viewing a movie-on-demand). This presentation depicts a customer-oriented service delivery scenario, i.e., it focuses on the customer in their home requesting a particular video service via the TV. It presents the issues involved in delivering a broadband-based video service to a customer, and includes a brief animation showing interactions among several systems, that make this delivery solution possible.
The simulations we developed were designed as standalone applications and provide a rather simple user interface for the user to control the flow of the animations. Even though the animations were designed in an intuitive manner, they required some training to operate. To facilitate training we created an intuitive interface with a look-and-feel with which the user might be familiar. For all of the animations we developed, we required feedback from our users and incorporated that feedback in our iterative design process.
INTEGRATING PROCESS FLOW ANIMATION WITH GUI PROTOTYPING
If process flows are a result of user actions, integrating an animated process flow with a user interface prototype can help in further describing to customers how a given user action will result in underlying system processing and flow-through to other related systems.In our second demonstration we incorporated a GUI by prototyping it and interspersing GUI inputs and outputs at the appropriate points in the processing flow of the system. This provided our customers a more realistic view of the system, and how background processes would be started and, more importantly, at what point. Within the GUI we keyed the background processing animation windows to appear when the user selected the "Help" button in the appropriate window or dialog box of the GUI. If the user has an understanding of the underlying processing, the animation windows could be considered as a processing indicator (or processing status display) in the delivered system.
The animations were designed to run automatically; however, the user had the option to control the flow of the animation with special commands we built into the system. This control provided the presenter with the flexibility to review critical flows or emphasize specific sections of it to the customer. For the animations and the GUI design prototypes we developed, we required feedback from our users and incorporated that feedback in our iterative design process.
CONCLUSION
We feel that we have been providing a service of great value to our customers (both the systems engineers designing these solutions and their customers) by utilizing computer animation techniques in the early stage of a high-level design proposal. Viewers of the system have expressed immense satisfaction with the ability of these animations to communicate complex process flows or hard-to-visualize material effectively. Furthermore, all of these cases demonstrate the efficacy of using computer visualizations to reduce the cost and improve the quality of technical communication. Viewers are able to easily understand complex process flows, assess the impact of proposed design solutions, and the quality of decisions regarding the proposed solution is improved.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank the people who reviewed this document and provided constructive input to earlier versions.REFERENCES
1. Ervin, S. M. A Methodology for Integrating Visualization, Geographic and Environmental Analysis in Site Planning and Design. Proceedings of VIDEA 93. Visualization and Intelligent Design in Engineering and Architecture, 1 (1992), 277-289.2. Hall, A. C. Computer visualisation in planning control: some case studies and issues. URISA Proceedings: Papers from the Annual Conference on Urban and Regional Information System Association, April 28-30, 1993, 505-522.
3. Jenvey, S. Multi-Media in an Electromagnetics Laboratory, Proceedings IEEE 1st International Conference on Multi Media Engineering Education, July 6-8, 1994, 333-338.