THE FIRST STEP IN A POTENTIAL VISION APPLICATION IS THE PROBLEM SPECIFICATION. IN PRACTICE, ARRIVING AT A WELL-DEFINED PROBLEM SPECIFICATION IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE ISSUES DISCUSSED IN THIS PAPER INCLUDE: THE MOTIVATION FOR DEVELOPING A NEW COMPUTERIZED APPROACH TO PROBLEM SPECIFICATION, THE METHODOLOGY USED, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION. THE RESULT OF THIS PROJECT IS A COMPUTER-BASED COMPREHENSIVE TOOL. THIS TOOL IS AN INTERACTIVE COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT TAKES THE POTENTIAL USER SYSTEMATICALLY THROUGH A STEP-BY- STEP INTERROGATION OF THE MACHINE VISION APPLICATION AND OUTPUTS A COMPLETE PROBLEM SPECIFICATION THAT WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MACHINE VISION SYSTEM.