Better ergonomics, reduced cognitive-load

InterUnit-UI is a WIMP alternative that improves ergonomics and reduces cognitive-load. It is a very simple UI-design paradigm that can be implemented using only 2 constructs -- a minimal, functional "interface-unit" (InterUnit), and a customisable EngagementManager app that manages InterUnits.

Ergonomix is an app for developing InterUnits or EngagementManagers in C++, using the InterUnit-UI SDK. It has a source-code editor this is similarly advanced as the editors in Xcode, VisualStudio and CLion used to design WIMP based UIs.
Developers who are used to WIMP based UI-design will find it easy to switch. Ergonomix also includes code-navigation techniques specially designed for InterUnit-UI based design.

Existing WIMP based UI-design tools

UI-development tools based on WIMP are all mature and widely used. Each of the tools listed below targets a UI-design framework based on WIMP.

VisualStudio


Platform: Windows.
Targets .NET or Win32, both WIMP based frameworks
Produced by Microsoft.

Xcode


Platform: MacOS.
Targets Cocoa, a WIMP based framework
Produced by Apple.

CLion


Platform: Linux.
Targets GTK-4, a WIMP based framework
Produced by JetBrains.

Ergonomix: differentiating features

Simplicity for the developer.

Ergonomix is far easier to design UIs with because it is based on InterUnit-UI and not WIMP. There are only 2 simple SDK constructs and code-navigation is very simple.

Easy to target UI ergonomic-efficiency.

An InterUnit can be initially created and then iteratively refined to target and improve usage ergonomics. This can be done independent of other InterUnits or the hosting EngagementManager.

Better code-reuse.

It provides access to an InterUnit marketplace, where developers can buy or sell InterUnits, much like an app store, but only for developers (not end-users). Each InterUnit is written and optimised independently. Once its usability has been verified, it can be re-used as a unit by other developers. In WIMP, reuse uccurs at the interactive-screen-widget level. Most commonly, a WIMP-based framework producer produces a library of such widgets and developers reuse them. Note that this is not reuse at a user-function level but a UI-function level.

Included Utilities -- Screen-layout and data-editing.

Ergonomix includes a few specially designed components both to help improve UI ergonomics
and simplify app-development, such as:
1) A hexagonal-lattice based screen-layout component, enables screen-layout on a hexagonal and not cartesian lattice.
2) Data-representation and parsing components for a full-featured C++ parser. These can be used as a basis to design InterUnits for editing any kind of data.

Targeted devices

Linux

1) Ubuntu based desktops,
2) Linux on ARM based Android smartphones or laptops
3) Raspberry Pi based laptop like systems

Ergonomix will be a full-fledged IDE, similar to CLion. It could be used to develop InterUnits, apps, or a Linux front-end DesktopEnvironment and WindowManager.

MacOS and Windows

Ergonomix will be only a CodeEditor to be used in conjunction with Xcode or VisualStudio (compile, link, debug). We could make it a standalone IDE, later, using Clang and LLDB.

Product Timeline

We are currently developing the code for Ergonomix. We plan to announce a demo-date soon.

Licensing

Khitchdee Design plans to license Ergonomix to individual developers or developer teams.

Existing Code-editors for WIMP development using C++

  1. CLion by Jetbrains () $300 annual subscription.
  2. Xcode by Apple (). Free
  3. VisualStudio by Microsoft () $1200 annual subscription.

Showcase Apps

A CAD tool -- The Specifier (), is being built using Ergonomix (by Khitchdee Design).