The Graphical User Interface (GUI) is the visible part of the software. End-users naturally see the GUI as the application as a whole: it really consists of the gate through which business features are made available. Consequently, users’ expectations toward the GUI are high. Expectations include an attractive and modern presentation, predictable behaviors and compatibility with today’s standards.

1st Challenge : Adaptability
The end expects the GUI to facilitate his everyday tasks, integrate easily with his technological environment and adapt to his business context with no interference. The challenge for the developer is to design a rich, user-friendly graphical interface meeting users’ needs in their specific context. To meet such goals, an approach allowing strong focus on the business side of the application is essential.

2nd Challenge: Extensibility
Today, GUI development remains complex: legacy technologies coexist with current standards, data is of heterogeneous nature and architectures are multiple: heavy clients, thin clients, rich clients, SOAs... New needs are emerging, new terminals are brought to the market (smart phones, PDAs, tablet PCs...), which translate into new ways of interacting with machines, such as multi-modal, adaptative interfaces, or MMIs taking into account the user’s context. We are simultaneously witnessing the unavoidable need for change, the necessity of preserving some legacy and need of minimizing the impact of future in a consistent manner. The importance of application extensibility is growing.

3rd Challenge: Control
GUI development also remains heavy and expensive. As noted by the IEC (International Engineering Consortium), 50% of the code in new developments is related to MMI. This is due to the complex nature of GUIs, where event centric programming depends on contexts and on users’ profiles, adding up to the complexity of controlling the rapid pace of change of technologies, requirements, services and presentation standards. The absence of prototyping and the inability to reuse prototypes often explain gaps between applications and expectations, which further complicates control.

A Void in the Market
MDA (Model Driven Architecture) is slow to fulfil its promises in terms of productivity: in many IT sectors, controlling costs and meeting deadlines remains problematic. At Lyria, we are convinced that only a model driven approach is capable of dealing with such constraints while allowing the separation between the business expertise and technical world. Our flagship product LEONARDI is an innovative and pragmatic answer to these challenges in the GUI domain.