Integrating Software and Usability Engineering through Jointly-constructed, Event-based Stories John Teofil Paul Nosek Temple University Rm. 316 Wachman Hall Philadelphia, PA 19122 215-204-7232 nosek@temple.edu ABSTRACT diagrams, easy to learn and use. Juristo et al recommend applying This position paper proposes that event-based stories appear to elicitation patterns to garner usability requirements “after a have the potential to provide a simple, but powerful technique for preliminary version of the software requirements has been created users and developers to communicate emotional and [1].” This position paper explores the use of jointly-constructed, informational needs, redesign processes, and structure the user event-based stories as a powerful, flexible communications interface design within the agile development paradigm. Informal technique among end users and developers. Stories can be evaluation of the use of event-based stories in several employed from the earliest stages of development and in concert development projects suggest that event-based stories could be with applying other techniques, such as, elicitation patterns. For useful in integrating software and usability engineering. example, agile-based development recognizes the real-world Controlled experiments, in addition to more formal case analyses demands that development work be divided in time-segmented are the next steps. portions of completed deliverables, which includes, code, testing, and interface design. Rosson and Carroll use scenarios and a process of refinement of the scenarios from problem to activity Categories and Subject Descriptors design to information design to interaction design [7]. However, D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques H.5.2 User Interfaces they lack sufficient granularity to easily identify the problems and track the refinement of the scenarios from problem description General Terms through interaction design. This is because a single scenario as Design, Human Factors employed by Rosson and Carroll can include multiple events and activities and incorporate wordier, less directly relevant task Keywords descriptions that may make for a more interesting story but adds Events, stories, scenarios, usability engineering, software complexity and reduces clarity. Events help to organize the engineering problem space for software development and the construction of stories based on these events may help to integrate software and 1. POSITION PAPER usability engineering. Developing stories for single events provides finer granularity and makes it easier to track refinements Software engineering has focused on functionality, i.e., the of the scenarios. system must do “x” [2]. However, much of software development focuses on usability issues [7]. Usability Engineering focuses Information-based techniques by their nature filter out any more on how easy the developed system is to learn and use, but emotional aspects discovered in the initial information gathering these divisions are artificial. The earlier user feedback begins and process. Through the initial story of the problem statement, users the more it can be maintained throughout the development may be able to place themselves within the story and judge process, the better [3]. Nosek & Ahrens [4], Nosek & Schwartz whether the developer understands both emotional and [5], Nosek & Roth [6] explored techniques that can be used by informational aspects. For example in the sample story below, the users and developers over the translation process from problem user can observe that the developer has incorporated the emotion statement to developed system. Such techniques must be powerful of worry in the problem scenario and the reduction of this worry enough for users to express needs that can be ultimately translated in the activity design. Emotions add strength or importance to a into code by developers. Through experience, end-users have not situation. Specifically recognizing emotions within stories found most technically-oriented techniques, such as data flow validates the user’s contribution and may make the user more confident that the developer accurately understands the situation. Users that can read have the necessary capabilities to modify, and Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for therefore, should be able to co-construct the stories without personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are additional training in any particular technically-oriented not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that technique. copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, In the next phase, developers can incorporate process redesign in requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. refining the problem statement to incorporate the new activities with the proposed system. This process can be refined through I-USED’08, September 24, 2008, Pisa, Italy information and interaction design. Figure 1 shows how Event- based stories can proceed in tandem with technically-oriented techniques, which focus on coding and testing. Figure 2 shows System. He noticed that there were a couple of alerts, which he how the solution space can be subdivided by Event-based stories decided to ignore for the time being. Prof. B L had predefined and Technically-oriented techniques. An example is given for a groups of students in various courses. These were in his personal how stories may be refined around a single event. address book. He started to compose a new ‘announcement’. A window similar to composing an email got displayed. Prof. B L Event 1: Prof. Bob London missed the flight after a conference typed in the announcement and sent it to the predefined group of and so had to cancel the class next day. (Instructor alters the class students in his Wednesday class. Wednesday morning, Prof. B L schedule) checked the system and found that 12 out of 15 students read the announcement. Problem Acti vity Information Interaction Interaction Design Scenario from Activity Design Scenario for Scenario Design Design Design Event 1: (same as above - interaction refinements are underlined) Stories – User focussed Prof. B L connected his laptop to the Internet and logged into the Online Instructional Support System. He noticed that there were a Technically-oriented Techniques – Developer focussed Data Context Use Functional Cost Screen Test couple of alerts, which he decided to ignore for the time being. Code So, he clicked on the "remind me later" button. The main menu Model Diagram Cases Requirements Benefit Designs Plans showed up. Prof. B L selected "messaging" option. He selects the Figure 1: Event-based Stories in Software and Usability Eng. "new announcement" item. A window similar to composing an email shows up. In the compose window, he selected the "To" field; right clicked and selected "predefined groups". The predefined groups in his personal address book showed up. He Event 1 Stories Event 2 Stories … Event n Stories selected the group that corresponded to the students in his Wednesday class. The "To" field got populated with the group information. He typed in the announcement information in the "message" field and pressed the "send" button to send the Event 1 Event 2 Event n ToT ToT ToT announcement. ToT: Technically-oriented Techniques Figure 2: Division of Solution Space by Events 2. SUMMARY This position paper proposes that event-based stories appear to have the potential to provide a simple, but powerful technique for Problem Scenario for Event 1: Prof. Bob London was in users and developers to communicate emotional and Houston, TX on Tuesday for a conference and missed the last informational needs, redesign processes, and structure the user flight. He realized that he would miss the class next morning and interface design within the agile development paradigm. Informal was worried that students would show up to class confused and evaluation of the use of event-based stories in several angry at him. However, he had neither the list of students for the development projects suggest that event-based stories could be class nor their contact information with him. So he sent an email useful in integrating software and usability engineering. to Ms. Tika Farrell, the dept.’s secretary, asking her to let the Controlled experiments, in addition to more formal case analyses students know that the class for Wednesday morning is cancelled. are the next steps. Ms. Tika was annoyed with having to do one more thing and didn't have the contact information for the students. So she replied 3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS saying that she will post a note in the class room. Prof. B L George Mathew developed the initial story example. I thank the searched through his emails and found a student's email. He anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive made an educated guess that the student was in the Wednesday comments. morning class and emailed him saying that the Wednesday class is cancelled and that he let other students know. It was already late in Philadelphia and Prof. B L was not sure if the student read 4. REFERENCES [1] Juristo, N., Moreno, A. M., Sanchez-Segura, M. (2007), his email that night. “Guidelines for Eliciting Usability Functionalities”, IEEE (Process Redesign) Activity Design Scenario from Problem Transactions on Software Engineering, Vol. 33, No. 11, Scenario for Event 1: (same as above …) He realized that he November 2007, pp. 744-758. would miss the class next morning. B L was not worried and [2] Larman, C. (2004) Applying UML and Patterns: An didn’t have to bother the secretary. He connected his laptop to the Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Internet and logged into the Online Instructional Support System Prentice Hall, New York. and sent out an announcement to the students to the effect that the class is cancelled. Wednesday morning, Prof. B L checked the [3] Nosek, J.T., Sherr, D. (1984) "Getting the Requirements system and found that 12 out of 15 students read the Right vs. Getting the System Working - Evolutionary announcement. He easily sent a reminder to the 3 students who Development," in Bemelmans, T.M.A. (ed.) Beyond didn’t read the announcement. Productivity: Information Systems Development for Organizational Effectiveness, North Holland, New York. Information Design Scenario from Activity Design Scenario for Event 1: (same as above …) Prof. B L connected his laptop to [4] Nosek, J.T., Ahrens, J. (1986), "An Experiment to Test User the Internet and logged into the Online Instructional Support Validation of Requirements: Data Flow Diagrams v. Task-oriented Menus" (with J. Ahrens), International Journal Tools: Predicate Logic vs. Semantic Network", International of Man-Machine Studies, Vol. 25, No 6, December, 675-684. Journal of Man-Machine Studies, Vol. 33, 227-239. [5] Nosek, J.T., Schwartz, R. (1988), "User Validation of [7] Rosson, M.B. & Carroll, J.M.(2002) Usability Engineering: Information System Requirements: Some Empirical Results", Scenario-based Development of Human Computer IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 9, Interaction, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., San September, 1372-1375. Francisco, CA. [6] Nosek, J.T., Roth, I. (1990), "A Comparison of Formal Knowledge Representation Schemes as Communication