Task analysis: the missing link in software development methodologies

Systems development methods or software methodologies have evolved considerably over the past few years. This development has tended to fall into two main areas: Software Engineering and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). The two main techniques proposed in Software Engineering were Structured Analysis, as proposed by Ross and DeMarco; and Semantic Modelling. These two different approaches were later combined to yield Modern Structured Analysis, in which Structured Analysis was augmented with data modelling techniques. Modern Structured Analysis was subsequently replaced by Object Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD) which adopted a holistic approach to data and processes, encapsulating them into objects. In the HCI domain, design methods such as Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and Task Analysis for Knowledge Descriptions (TAKD), have long been used to model the cognitive nature of the tasks performed by the users. Recent work by Walsh, Um, Long and Sutcliffe have proposed combining Task Analysis (TA) with Structured Analysis and Design methods, in order to improve system usability. Analysis for Task Object Modelling (ATOM), as proposed by Walsh, is an example of such a method which combines TA with object modelling in an integrated life cycle approach. This article will review the major Software Engineering methods, together with the principal HCI methods and motivate for the integration of the two areas on the basis of improved system usability. A taxonomy of software development methods as proposed by Blum will be reviewed and a proposal made to augment the framework to include the issue of user-centered design methods. The extended framework will then be used to classify several of the principal software design methodologies, together with the principal HCI methods. Each of these methodologies will be reviewed and conclusions drawn as to the efficacy of each in the context of the software life cycle. We will demonstrate that all of the traditional design methodologies fail to include Task Analysis (TA). An alternative methodology, Analysis for Task Object Modelling, as proposed by Walsh, will be discussed, which includes TA with object modelling. We will motivate that TA is an essential part of Requirements Analysis and HCI design. Furthermore, failure to include TA may result in serious usability problems. Methods like ATOM, which combine TA with OOAD, are thus the most applicable software methodologies for designing usable systems in the future. Further research, however, is needed to improve and integrate the conceptual modelling techniques in ATOM

Agile Requirements Engineering: A systematic literature review

Nowadays, Agile Software Development (ASD) is used to cope with increasing complexity in system development. Hybrid development models, with the integration of User-Centered Design (UCD), are applied with the aim to deliver competitive products with a suitable User Experience (UX). Therefore, stakeholder and user involvement during Requirements Engineering (RE) are essential in order to establish a collaborative environment with constant feedback loops. The aim of this study is to capture the current state of the art of the literature related to Agile RE with focus on stakeholder and user involvement. In particular, we investigate what approaches exist to involve stakeholder in the process, which methodologies are commonly used to present the user perspective and how requirements management is been carried out. We conduct a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with an extensive quality assessment of the included studies. We identified 27 relevant papers. After analyzing them in detail, we derive deep insights to the following aspects of Agile RE: stakeholder and user involvement, data gathering, user perspective, integrated methodologies, shared understanding, artifacts, documentation and Non-Functional Requirements (NFR). Agile RE is a complex research field with cross-functional influences. This study will contribute to the software development body of knowledge by assessing the involvement of stakeholder and user in Agile RE, providing methodologies that make ASD more human-centric and giving an overview of requirements management in ASD.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2013-46928-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2015-71938-RED

Incorporating Agile with MDA Case Study: Online Polling System

Nowadays agile software development is used in greater extend but for small organizations only, whereas MDA is suitable for large organizations but yet not standardized. In this paper the pros and cons of Model Driven Architecture (MDA) and Extreme programming have been discussed. As both of them have some limitations and cannot be used in both large scale and small scale organizations a new architecture has been proposed. In this model it is tried to opt the advantages and important values to overcome the limitations of both the software development procedures. In support to the proposed architecture the implementation of it on Online Polling System has been discussed and all the phases of software development have been explained.Comment: 14 pages,1 Figure,1 Tabl

Finding and Resolving Security Misusability with Misusability Cases

Although widely used for both security and usability concerns, scenarios used in security design may not necessarily inform the design of usability, and vice- versa. One way of using scenarios to bridge security and usability involves explicitly describing how design deci- sions can lead to users inadvertently exploiting vulnera- bilities to carry out their production tasks. This paper describes how misusability cases, scenarios that describe how design decisions may lead to usability problems sub- sequently leading to system misuse, address this problem. We describe the related work upon which misusability cases are based before presenting the approach, and illus- trating its application using a case study example. Finally, we describe some findings from this approach that further inform the design of usable and secure systems

Usability dimensions in collaborative GIS

Collaborative GIS requires careful consideration of the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability aspects, given the variety of users that are expected to use these systems, and the need to ensure that users will find the system effective, efficient, and enjoyable. The chapter explains the link between collaborative GIS and usability engineering/HCI studies. The integration of usability considerations into collaborative GIS is demonstrated in two case studies of Web-based GIS implementation. In the first, the process of digitising an area on Web-based GIS is improved to enhance the user's experience, and to allow interaction over narrowband Internet connections. In the second, server-side rendering of 3D scenes allows users who are not equipped with powerful computers to request sophisticated visualisation without the need to download complex software. The chapter concludes by emphasising the need to understand the users' context and conditions within any collaborative GIS project. © 2006, Idea Group Inc