The impact of language theories on DSS dialog

Dialog forms the primary avenue to prevent mismatches between the needs of a computer-user and his/her ability to communicate them to the information system being employed. Using this perspective, user-computer interfaces can be thought of as ‘linguistic communication systems’ that are only technically implemented. Such interfaces are especially important for decision support systems (DSS) where ‘in the eyes of the user, the dialog is the system’. This paper suggests a linguistic framework for the design of the DSS user interface. First, it presents the historical foundations and perspectives of five major approaches based on language theories. These are the Fregean Core, Chomskyan Grammar, Skinnerian Response, Piaget’s Schema, and Ordinary Speaking. Then, it discusses how current and potential DSS interface research are related to these multiple theories and provides illustrative examples of each type of DSS dialog.