Interactive Theorem Proving: Modelling the User in the Proof Process
Bernhard Beckert and Sarah Grebing
Proving complex problems requires user interaction during proof
construction. A major prerequisite for user interaction is that the user is
able to understand the proof state in order to guide the prover in finding a
proof.
Previous evaluations using focus groups for two interactive theorem provers
have shown that there exists a gap between the user’s model of the proof and
the actual proof performed by the provers’ strategies. In this paper, we
sketch a process model of the interactive proof process that helps to analyze
this gap. Additionally, we give insight into the results of a usability test
of the interactive verification System KeY, which provides evidence that this
model is consistent with the actual proof process.