Externalizing Thought: Improving the design of software through diagrams

外化思想：通过图表改进软件设计

• 批准号: 0725223
• 负责人: Jeffrey Nickerson
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: Stevens Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-08-15 至 2011-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0725223&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Externalizing; Thought; Improving; design; software

Designs of experts are better than those of novices, but it is not clear why. Here, we provide new methods for understanding software design expertise and how it develops. The methods, which involve analyzing diagrams to reveal the cognitive structures of designers, have been developed in other disciplines that rely on sketches and visualizations to realize and fine-tune design. They have not yet been applied to the design of software-intensive systems. A unique and valuable aspect of the project is that it is embedded in a course in design, an opportunity to study design as it happens and to improve design instruction at the same time. The project will also study expert designers practicing in the field. Our efforts focus on the following broad research questions: What differentiates expert software designers from novices? How do experts and novices represent problems and solutions? Which teaching techniques are most successful in increasing the skills of novices? And, most generally, how can we improve our capacity to design? Bad design, and the resulting bad software, impedes coordination in many government and corporate institutions. Any improvement in the education of designers may be amplified by their efforts in practice and in mentoring other designers over the length of their careers. Specific impacts should include improving software-intensive systems design education, consequently improving the efficacy of software and social systems created by graduates of this and other design programs. For this reason, possible impacts include better homeland security, better economic growth, better social services, and other effects of improved systems design. Thus, insights in this domain may help us improve a broad range of human activities.

专家的设计比新手的设计更好，但原因尚不清楚。在这里，我们提供了理解软件设计专业知识及其开发方式的新方法。这些方法包括分析图表以揭示设计师的认知结构，在其他依赖草图和可视化来实现和微调设计的学科中也有所发展。它们还没有被应用于软件密集型系统的设计。该项目的一个独特和有价值的方面是，它嵌入了一门设计课程，提供了一个学习设计的机会，同时也改善了设计教学。该项目还将研究在该领域实践的专家设计师。我们的努力集中在以下广泛的研究问题上：专家软件设计师与新手之间的区别是什么？专家和新手如何表示问题和解决方案？在提高新手技能方面，哪些教学技巧最成功？而且，最普遍的是，我们如何提高我们的设计能力？糟糕的设计，以及由此产生的糟糕的软件，阻碍了许多政府和企业机构的协调。对设计师教育的任何改进都可能被他们在实践中的努力以及在他们职业生涯中指导其他设计师的努力放大。具体影响应该包括改善软件密集型系统设计教育，从而提高本课程和其他设计课程毕业生创建的软件和社会系统的效率。出于这个原因，可能的影响包括更好的国土安全，更好的经济增长，更好的社会服务，以及改进系统设计的其他影响。因此，对这一领域的洞察可能有助于我们改进广泛的人类活动。