Using card sorting technique to classify requirements change

Requirements Volatility is considered to be a major source of risk to the management of large and complex software projects. The ability to characterise the nature and origins of requirements change during software development is important and can lead organisations towards more effective management of changing requirements. This paper focuses on a study to establish how practitioners classify requirements change requests. We used the Card Sorting method to identify categories of change requests that software developers use in practice. Card sorting is a knowledge elicitation method that is commonly used for capturing information about different ways of representing domain knowledge. This study has allowed us to get valuable insights into the way practitioners classify change requests and to understand their perspectives on classification. This classification is a valuable source of information in prioritizing change requests and assessing their impact. Our findings from the card sorting exercise further reveal that the criteria used for categorization are related to the role the practitioner plays in the software development team and the nature and extent of their responsibilities. © 2004 IEEE

Looking for Reasons behind Success in Dealing with Requirements Change

During development, requirements of software systems are subject to change. Unfortunately, managing changing requirements can take a lot of time and effort. Yet some companies show a better management of changes in requirements than others. Why? What is it that makes some projects deal with changing requirements better than others? We pursue the long term goal of understanding the mechanisms used to successfully deal with change in requirements. In this paper we gather knowledge about the state-of-the-art and the state-of-practice. We studied eight software development projects in four different companies --large and small, inclined toward structured and toward agile principles of development--, interviewing their project managers and analyzing their answers. Our findings include a list of practical (rather than theoretical) factors affecting the ability to cope with small changes in requirements. Results suggest a central role of size as a factor determining the flexibility showed either by the organization or by the software development team. We report the research method used and validate our results via expert interviews, who could relate to our findings

Contextual user research methods for eliciting user experience insights in workplace studies

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute with experiences and reflections on user research methods that we have tested in our studies of users\u27 experiences in office environments. Theory: Previous workplace studies with qualitative data approaches mainly rely on traditional methods such as interviews and observations. Based on user-centered design research, we outline methods that can be used to facilitate understanding the interrelations between users and their surrounding environment. Design: Three methods and their variations were applied in different case studies to facilitate understanding of user experiences in office environments: (i) spatial walkthroughs, (ii) card sorting, and (iii) experience curve mapping. Findings: Spatial walkthroughs were more immersive and provided most insights on the actual context with respect to spatial design qualities. The card sorting enabled exploring user experiences with respect to predetermined aspects. The experience curve mapping enabled understanding the temporal aspects of the user experience. The latter two methods were less immersive and less disruptive in the organisational context than the spatial walkthroughs. The flexibility of these methods allows for tailoring the application depending on the purpose of the workplace studies. We recommend using a combination of these methods to capture a more holistic understanding of user experiences and improving the workspace design to better fit the users. Originality: The outlined methods required user involvement and participation and provided insights for making evidence-based recommendations for designing or redesigning office environments that fit users\u27 needs and preferences

A Multiorganisational Study of the Drivers and Barriers of Enterprise Collaboration Systems-Enabled Change

Enterprise Collaboration Systems (ECS) are emerging as the de facto technology platform for the digital workplace. This paper presents findings from an in-depth, multiorganisational study that examines the drivers and barriers of ECS-enabled change from two perspectives: i) the company initiating and driving the project and ii) key practitioners responsible for delivering the change. Data is collected from ECS using companies via a survey and face-to-face workshops, analysed using qualitative content analysis methods to identify categories of change and then synthesised to provide a rich classification and visualisation of the drivers, barriers, motivations and pain points (DBMP) to ECS-enabled change. This is followed by a discussion of the similarities and differences between drivers and barriers from both personal and company perspectives. The paper concludes by exploring the potential of the research and visualisation methods used in this work to provide the foundation for the longitudinal study of ECS-enabled change

Cognitive Analysis of Intrusion Detection System

Usability evaluation methods have gained a substantial attention in networks particularly in Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as these evaluation methods are envisioned to achieve usability and define usability defects for a large number of practical software’s. Despite a good number of available survey and methods on usability evaluation, we feel that there is a gap in existing literature in terms of usability evaluation methods, IDS interfaces and following usability guidelines in IDS development. This paper reviews the state of the art for improving usability of networks that illustrates the issues and challenges in the context of design matters. Further, we propose the taxonomy of key issues in evaluation methods and usability problems. We also define design heuristics for IDS users and interfaces that improves detection of usability defects and interface usability compared to conventional evaluation heuristics. The similarities and differences of usability evaluation methods and usability problems are summarized on the basis of usability factors, current evaluation methods and interfaces loopholes

The use of statistics to define taxonomies of film voices: a practical approach to documentary classification

The study of visual content using qualitative methods currently involves much scholarly work in the field of digital humanities. Documentary films are considered among those objects defined as visual content and are therefore not the focus of most attention within Film Studies. One of the bestknown researchers in this area, Bill Nichols, proposed a theoretical classification of six documentary voices that is widely recognized in academic circles. However, the classification is based on induction and intuition which, until now, have not been verified in accordance with the evidence. This study proposes a mixed qualitative and quantitative methodology that allows the authors to surpass Nichols' model and generate a new classification based on empirical criteria. To that end, they study the opinions of users of and experts on Nichols' theory through the card sorting technique borrowed from cognitive science that is based on multivariate statistics. In this way, they generate a hierarchy of formal cinematographic elements grouped into four documentary voices and Nicholas' classification proposal is partly replaced as two of the voices in his model disappear but the four others are confirmed. In addition, this new model allows the authors to determine which formal elements are assigned to each one of the confirmed documentary modes and with what relative weights, thereby opening up the possibility of generating a predictive model. The article therefore demonstrates that cluster analysis and other techniques borrowed from multivariate statistics can be used to empirically and quantitatively verify theories in film studies as well as in other areas such as poetics. This suggests that it is possible to verify empirically and use quantitative models for the study of visual content and complement other methods based on induction and intuition

A Comprehensive Framework for Comparing Textbooks: Insights from the Literature and Experts

Textbooks are essential components in the learning process. They assist in achieving educational learning outcomes and developing social and cultural values. However, limited studies provide comprehensive frameworks for comparing textbooks. Most have focused on a specific textbook perspective within a particular discipline. Therefore, this study used a triangulation method to develop a comprehensive framework for textbook comparison. Through a systematic literature review and a two-round Fuzzy Delphi method with 155 textbook experts, a textbook comparison framework with four indicators (structure, content, expectations, and language) was developed. Additionally, some of the developed framework indicators and sub-indicators could be relevant for comparing textbooks in a particular discipline. For example, the page count sub-indicator was proven to be useful for comparing humanities and social science textbooks but not natural science textbooks. The findings of this study could facilitate the process of comparing textbooks, hence promoting the understanding of knowledge design and acquisition in different contexts, such as when comparing textbooks from different countries

Activity theory as a lens to examine pre-service teachers' perceptions of learning and teaching of mathematics within an intervention programme

This study was prompted by concerns around mathematics teaching and learning in the South African education system. Contributory factors to this situation are the lack of competent mathematics teachers in the classroom and mathematics at-risk students entering teacher education programmes. This paper reports on how a mathematics intervention programme (MIP) assisted in shaping at-risk student teachers’ perceptions of their learning and teaching of mathematics. Activity Theory (AT) is used as a theoretical lens for examining these students’ perceptions. Qualitative data were collected using in-depth interviews with 12 students and their written and graphical reflections of their experiences in the MIP. The results confirm that the students’ perceptions of their learning and teaching of mathematics had changed. Furthermore the study provides evidence that strategically planned interventions to deal with historically imbalances can and do work. The study concludes that the MIP had a positive effect on the students with regard to improving their attitudes and level of confidence in learning and teaching mathematics