Jason E. Robbins

Integrating architecture description languages with a standard design method

Software architecture descriptions are high-level models of software systems. Some researchers have proposed special-purpose architectural notations that have a great deal of expressive power but are not well integrated with common development methods. Others have used mainstream development methods that are accessible to developers, but lack semantics needed for extensive analysis. We describe an approach to combining the advantages of these two ways of modeling architectures. We present two examples of extending UML, an emerging standard design notation, for use with two architecture description languages, C2 and Wright. Our approach suggests a practical strategy for bringing architectural modeling into wider use, namely by incorporating substantial elements of architectural models into a standard design method.

Cognitive support, UML adherence, and XMI interchange in Argo/UML

Abstract Software design is a cognitively challenging task. Most software design tools provide support for editing, viewing, storing, and transforming designs, but lack support for the essential and difficult cognitive tasks facing designers. These cognitive tasks include decision-making, decision ordering, and task-specific design understanding. This paper describes Argo/UML, an object-oriented design tool using the unified modeling language (UML) design notation. Argo/UML supports several identified cognitive needs of software designers. This support is provided in the form of design tool features. We describe each feature in the context of Argo/UML and provide enough detail to enable other tool builders to provide similar support in their own tools. We also discuss our implementation of the UML and XMI standards, and our development approach.

Software architecture critics in the Argo design environment

Software architectures are high-level design representations of software systems which focus on composition of software components and how those components interact. Software architectures abstract the details of implementation and allow the designer to focus on essential design decisions. Regardless of notation, designers are faced with the task of making good design decisions which demand a broad range of knowledge of the problem and solution domains. In this paper we describe Argo, a software architecture design environment that supports designers by addressing several cognitive challenges of design. Argos critiquing infrastructure supports decision making by automatically supplying knowledge that is timely and relevant to decisions at hand. Our discussion centers on a five-phase critiquing process that we use to motivate Argos features, structure a usage scenario and characterize related work.

Extending design environments to software architecture design

Designing a complex software system is a cognitively challenging task; thus, designers need cognitive support to create good designs. Domain-oriented design environments are cooperative problem-solving systems that support designers in complex design tasks. In this paper we present the architecture and facilities of Argo, a domain-oriented design environment for software architecture. Argos own architecture is motivated by the desire to achieve reuse and extensibility of the design environment. It separates domain-neutral code from domain-oriented code, which is distributed among active design materials as opposed to being centralized in the design environment. Argos facilities are motivated by the observed cognitive needs of designers. These facilities extend previous work in design environments by enhancing support for reflection-in-action, and adding new support for opportunistic design and comprehension and problem solving.

Software architecture critics in Argo

Software architectures are high-level design representations of software systems that focus on composition of software components and how those components interact. Software architectures abstract the details of implementation and allow the designer to focus on essential design decisions. Regardless of notation, designers are faced with the task of making good design decisions, which demands a wide range of knowledge of the problem and solution domains. Argo is a software architecture design environment that supports designers by addressing several cognitive challenges of design. In this paper we describe how Argo supports decision making by automatically supplying knowledge that is timely and relevant to decisions at hand.

Argo: a design environment for evolving software architectures

Software architectures evolve as the result of numerous, interrelated design decisions. At any point in an architecture’s evolution, current decisions can critically affect altematives at later stages, and each decision has the potential of requiring previous decisions to be reconsidered. Analysis techniques that provide feedback only after “complete” sequences of design decisions have been made do not directly support the evolutionary nature of the architecture design process. We present a system for architectural analysis that more closely supports evolution by providing feedback as design decisions are made.

Using critics to analyze evolving architectures

Software architectures evolve as the result of numerous, interrelated design decisions. At any point in an architecture’s evolution, current decisions can critically affect alternatives at later stages, and each decision has the potential of requiring previous decisions to be reconsidered. Analysis techniques that provide feedback only after “complete” sequences of design decisions have been made do not directly support the evolutionary nature of the architecture design process. In this paper we present an approach to architectural analysis that more closely supports evolution by providing feedback as design decisions are made.

EDEM: intelligent agents for collecting usage data and increasing user involvement in development

Expectation-Driven Event Monitoring (EDEM) provides developers with a platform for creating software agents to collect usage data and increase user involvement in the development of interactive systems. EDEM collects information that is currently lost regarding actual usage of applications to promote improved usability and a more empirically grounded design process.

Using HTML to create early prototypes

This paper discusses the use of HTML for creating early prototypes of interactive systems. The HTML prototyping technique uses an iterative approach for the creation of early prototypes. Low fidelity prototypes are iteratively refined into higher fidelity versions. The prototypes are easily accessible to project stakeholders. We evaluate the HTML prototyping technique with respect to criteria published in the CHI community.

Sweeping away disorder with the broom alignment tool

Design diagrams play an important role in many disciplines. Many types of diagrams use spacing and alignment to communicate implicit relationships between objects within the diagram. We describe and evaluate a direct manipulation alignment tool based on a push-broom metaphor.