Integrating formal and diagrammatic techniques in requirements capture and early system design

The process of design in software engineering is a complex one. Decisions made in the design stage have far reaching, and sometimes devastating, effects on subsequent development work. Adopting a user-centred approach to system development adds a further layer of complexity which must, in turn, be addressed. There is considerable experience at the University of Hertfordshire of developing novel human-computer systems through user-centred design. This experience provides a strong focus for our interests in enhancing the quality of the development process by integrating formal methods with the less formal techniques currently used.