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A computer program based method is described for creating models using gestures. On an input device, such as an electronic whiteboard, a user draws a gesture which is recognized by a computer program and interpreted relative to a predetermined meta-model. Based on the interpretation, an algorithm is assigned to the gesture drawn by the user. The executed algorithm may, for example, consist in creating a new model element, modifying an existing model element, or deleting an existing model element.

The emergence of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) has provided software developers with an effective and efficient shared language. However, UML is often too restrictive in initial, informal, and creative modelling, and it is in some cases not restrictive enough, e.g., for code generation. Based on user studies, we propose that tool and meta-level support for several levels of restriction in diagrams and models is needed. We furthermore present a tool, Knight, which supports several levels of restriction as well as ways of transferring models from one level of restriction to another. This approach potentially increases the usability of the UML, and thus ultimately leads to greater quality and adoption of UML models.