A field study of the software design process for large systems
Communications of the ACM
Descriptive analysis for computer-based decision support
Operations Research
Division among the ranks: the social implications of case tools for systems developers
ICIS '89 Proceedings of the tenth international conference on Information Systems
Systems that support decision makers: description and analysis
Systems that support decision makers: description and analysis
Evaluation of vendor products: CASE tools as methodology companions
Communications of the ACM
Communications of the ACM - Special issue on analysis and modeling in software development
Information Processing and Human-Machine Interaction: An Approach to Cognitive Engineering
Information Processing and Human-Machine Interaction: An Approach to Cognitive Engineering
Empirical Software Engineering
Constraints in design: Towards a methodology of psychological analysis based on AI formalisms
INTERACT '90 Proceedings of the IFIP TC13 Third Interational Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
Characterizing case constraints
Communications of the ACM
Empirical Software Engineering
Strongly Formative Pilot Studies on Constraints in Early Life-Cycle Work
APSEC '99 Proceedings of the Sixth Asia Pacific Software Engineering Conference
Empirical Software Engineering
Work-arounds, Make-work, and Kludges
IEEE Intelligent Systems
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This study sought to improve our understanding of user attitudes, perceptions, satisfaction and behavior in reference to constraints within computerized design tools. It also attempted to examine the differences in perspective between tool builders and tool users regarding appropriate design practices, as communicated via design tools.The study created a typology of constraints and described a set of strategies users employ in the negotiation of constraints encountered in of computer-aided systems engineering (CASE) tools. Also addressed were (a) the cognitive fit between tool users and tool builders in terms of appropriate and necessary constraints, and (b) issues of creativity in the design of computer software.An eight-page questionnaire containing 61 questions was developed by conducting structured interviews with tool users and managers, in industry. Following a pre-test, the questionnaire was administered to an international sample of tool users, tool builders and non-CASE software application developers (a control group). More than 200 questionnaires were returned (half via electronic mail) from respondents largely in North America, but also from Europe, Australia and New Zealand.Analysis followed a factorial design that evaluated the impact of normative attitudes toward and perceptions of control upon satisfaction and behavior. Most respondents reported not feeling especially encumbered with constraints in their tools, although most also reserved the right to override or work around constraints, depending upon circumstances.The study found that normative attitudes toward control have a significant impact upon behavior in response to constraints in computerized design tools. (Favorable attitudes toward control are associated significantly with conforming behavior.) It also found that perceptions of control have a significant impact upon satisfaction and behavior. (Perceptions of high control are associated significantly with low satisfaction and with resistant behavior.) No significant differences were observed between tool users and tool builders in terms of key constructs.Suggestions for future research include investigation of concerns raised by the current study, examination of similar effects in other domains (such as architectural design), and development of the potential for intelligent machine guidance in creative design activities.