A cognitive and user centric based approach for reverse engineering tool design

ABSTRACT

Reverse engineering tools aimed at facilitating software maintenance suffer from low adoption. Many are developed, but few are used by software engineers in performing their maintenance work. We introduce an approach for tool design that is aimed at increasing the adoptability potential of tools.Our approach is based on applying cognitive analysis to identify cognitively difficult aspects of maintenance work, then deriving cognitive requirements to address these difficulties. The approach is described in the context of the implementation of a reverse engineering tool we call DynaSee, which we have used to for the visualization of traces generated by a large telecommunications system. We describe how DynaSee addresses a specific set of cognitive difficulties.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.7 Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement
          Subjects: Restructuring, reverse engineering, and reengineering

  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: User-centered design

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Measurement, Theory