Understanding Informal Software Design (slides:) Alex Baker Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Informatics Advisor: André van der Hoek Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences University of California, Irvine

Abstract

While a wide variety of programs have been developed to support software design, important design work also takes place around the humble whiteboard, via informal sketches and conversations. However, this kind of software design activity has not been thoroughly considered by the software engineering research community, and there is a need for a great deal of further study. Accordingly, the research presented here focuses on analyzing video recordings of 16 teams of software designers working together at the whiteboard. Specifically, this analysis focuses on the ways that software developers build their understanding of a design problem and its possible solutions, and then converge upon a final solution. This work will help to build a fundamental understanding of informal software design activities and their role in the software process.

 

Bio

Alex Baker is a PhD student under the advisement of Andre van der Hoek. He has long studied design in general, and has applied this knowledge to his research on software designers. In addition, he has an avid interest in software engineering education, and has developed a variety of novel approaches to teaching the subject. Alex is scheduled to finish his doctoral research in January of 2010.