Visual agents that model organizations

Abstract

The successful use of icons in interface design, games, and simulations to reduce cognitive effort is well established. This article explores an extension of the concept via a prototype implementation in Smalltalk‐80 that uses object‐oriented programming, AI techniques, and iconic “visual agents”; as a means of expanding the scope of the visual model world from narrowly focused metaphors to organizations themselves. Visual agents are icons that encapsulate data and behavior of organizational objects including the user. Just as a desktop metaphor is based on “desktop objects”; an organizational model world includes objects found within an organization. These objects are classified using a simple hierarchy composed of persons, things, and processes at the top level and a set of changeable entities at lower levels. This hierarchy provides the basis for the development of systems that accomplish managerial level tasks such as scheduling, reporting, advisement, and assistance. The hierarchical class structure,...