Using the UML 2.0 activity diagram to model agent plans and actions
The behavior of an agent is defined through the specification of plans and actions. Agents have a set of plans that are selected to be executed according to their goals (and other mental state information). In this paper, we propose the use of UML 2.0 activity diagrams to model agent plans and actions. We consider a plan to be an activity. Both plans and activities are composed of actions and define the action execution sequence. By using some features available in the UML 2.0 activity diagrams and defining some new ones, we demonstrate how these diagrams can be applied to model agent plans and actions.
This case study addresses how we applied user centered design (UCD) to the software development lifecycle for the new City of Austin Utilities Online Customer Care website. The case study focuses on the use of personas, prototypes, and user testing, discusses what worked well, and provides lessons learned.