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

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 !

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 !

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)

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)

Survey in 2006 – rationales for information gathering

Survey in 2006 – information need in SE phases

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,…

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,…

Relevancy of Web X.Y features for SE phases Judgement of 5 researchers 

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 …

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 …

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

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?

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

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?

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

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

Next steps … If you like to be involved, please write down your research questions by using the form or just send them to [email_address] 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 …

If you like to be involved, please write down your research questions by using the form or just send them to [email_address] 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 …

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

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