investigating the suitability of web x.y features for software engineers

Investigating the Suitability of Web X.Y

Features for Software Engineering –

Towards an Empirical Survey

SENSE 2009 – Kaiserslautern, Germany

Eric Ras

Jörg Rech

Sebastian Weber

Slide 2

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Motivation

• Software engineers go through an incremental process of acquiring, evaluating, organizing, analyzing, presenting, and storing information

• Web X.Y features could provide new possibilities for low threshold lightweight mechanisms for supporting

- search,

- access, sharing, and

- usage of information during the different SE phases

• Several success stories/empirical studies in the domain of SE exist that show the potential of specific Web technologies for specific SE phases/activities/steps

• However, we still lack understanding of Web X. Y usage in SE ...

We need to understand the Big Picture!

Slide 3

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Goal of the paper

Motivate the development of an empirical study (survey)

… to understand the usage of Web X.Y technologies in SE …

on the level of exploration/understanding (1), baselining (2), and relating (3):

• defining terms (1)• understand phenomena (1)• get evidence that we can measure the phenomena (1)• get evidence that measures are valid (1)• identify useful distinctions (1)

• understanding normal patterns (2)• know the occurrence of phenomena (2)

• understanding relationships (correlation) between two different phenomena (3)

Slide 4

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Survey in 2006 – rationales for information gathering

82%

78%

78%

37%

27%

28%

18%

22%

21%

54%

49%

47%

1%

1%

1%

9%

24%

25%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Solving Problems; N=120

Knowledge Gaps; N=120

Personal Motivation; N=119

New Trends ; N=120

General Code of Practice; N=119

Needed for Official Processes;N=118

Full applicable Partially applicable Not Applicable

Slide 5

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Survey in 2006 – information need in SE phases

61%

43%40%

37%

24%23%22%21%18%17%

14%13%13%10%

1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Slide 6

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Features of Web 2.0, Web 2.5, Web 3.0

• Web 2.0: using network effect, collaborative work, desktop-like UIs

- social networking

- annotation/rating and recommendation

- mashup and syndication

- folksonomy and collaborative working

- blog, life streaming

- …

• Web 2.5: pervasive Web, user are „always-on“ using mobile devices

- seamless experience, context sensitivity, dynamic mashups, rule-based services, end-user programming,…

• Web 3.0: semantic Web

- semantic data and services, natural language search, experience-based services, 3D Web,…

Slide 7

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Relevancy of Web X.Y features for SE phases

Feature Project

Management Requirements Engineering

Design Programming

Syndication (e.g., RSS, Mashup)

Social Networking Annotating / Rating Mashup Folksonomy Recommendation Life Streaming Collaboration (e.g., Wiki)

We

b 2

.0

Blog Seamless Experience Off-Site Commenting Device Sensitivity User Sensitivity Location Sensitivity Content Sensitivity Time-Sensitivity Dynamic Mashups

We

b 2

.5

Rule-based Services Semantic Data Semantic Services Natural-Language Search

Experience-based Services

We

b 3

.0

The 3D Web

Judgement of 5

research

ers

Slide 8

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Next steps …

• Develop an empirical survey with focus on Web X.Y usage in professional software engineering:

- information need (what) previous survey

- information usage (why) previous survey

- Web X.Y technologies (how) in SE phases (where)

- Specific aspects such as collaboration and knowledge sharing by means of Web X.Y technologies

- expected potential of Web X.Y for specific SE phases in industry

- …

• Define a first set of research questions, starting today …

Slide 9

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

How? By means of explorative questions (Level 1) • 1. Existence questions

- Does X exist?

• 2. Description and Classification questions

- What is X like?

- What are its properties?

- How can it be categorized?

- How can it be measured?

- What is it purpose?

- What are its components?

- How do the components relate to each other?

- What are the types of X?

• 3. Descriptive-Comparative questions

- How does X differ from Y?

Understanding

Baselining

Relating

Slide 10

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

How? By means of baselining questions (Level 2)

• 4. Frequency and Distribution questions

- How often does X occur?

- What is average amount of X?

• 5. Descriptive-Process questions

- How does X normally work?

- What is the process by which X happens?

- In what sequence do the events of X occur?

- What are the steps X goes through as it evolves?

- How does X achieve its purpose?

Understanding

Baselining

Relating

Slide 11

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

How? By means of relationship (correlation) questions (Level 3)

• 6. Relationship questions (focus on correlation)

- Are X and Y related?

- Do occurrences of X correlate with the occurrences of Y?

Level 4 would be cause effect relationships … this should be done later

Understanding

Baselining

Relating

Slide 12

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Next steps …

• If you like to be involved, please write down your research questions by using the form or just send them to eric.ras@iese.fraunhofer.de until end of March

• Join a pilot study to evaluate the survey questionnaire (online survey) May/June

• Help to distribute the survey and invite people from software engineering industry to take part (Summer)

• Get the results as a report (Dec)

• Thank you …

Slide 13

SENSE 2009/ KaiserslauternMarch 3 2009

Copyright © Fraunhofer IESE 2009

Thanks!

Questions?

Eric Ras, Jörg Rech, Sebastian Weber

{forname.surname}@iese.fraunhofer.de

Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering

Fraunhofer-Platz 1

67633 Kaiserslautern

Germany