An Explorative Analysis of the Notational Characteristics of the Decision Model and Notation (DMN)

Decision models are usually created to complement business process models and to separate them from additional information regarding the decision-making. Like other conceptual models, their purpose is to exceed the representing capabilities of a textual information representation by providing human readers a more visually expressive and cognitively effective form of representation, and if applicable, to allow for future automation. This paper presents findings from a cognitive analysis on the conformity of the newly specified DMN standard notation with principles for effective visual design. While the principle of semiotic clarity and visual expressiveness appeared to be mostly satisfied, visual expressiveness and perceptual discriminability were perceived as partly violated. It was assumed that the DMN notation satisfies the principles of complexity management and cognitive integration. The goal of this first qualitative analysis is to lay the foundation for follow-up, empirical investigations to investigate these ratings.