Software architecture and usability article

["Fernando Martins" <fmartins hetnet nl>]

Hi!

This is not exactly new but now that you are planning the next versions of
gnome you might find this report from the Software Engeneering Institute
(SEI) interesting:

"Achieving Usability Through Software Architecture" (*)

http://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/documents/01.reports/01tr005.html

I've no relation with SEI, whatsoever. I'm just a part-time developer who
cares about gnome. I hope the cross-posting was appropriate.

Regards,

Fernando Martins

(*) From the report summary:

"In this paper, we present an approach to improving the usability of
software systems by means of software architectural decisions. We identify
specific connections between aspects of usability, such as the ability to
"undo," and software architecture. We also formulate each aspect of
usability as a scenario with a characteristic stimulus and response. For
every scenario, we provide an architecture pattern that implements its
aspect of usability. We then organize the usability scenarios by category.
One category presents the benefits of these aspects of usability to users or
their organizations. A second category presents the architecture mechanisms
that directly relate to the aspects of usability. Finally, we present a
matrix that correlates these two categories with the general scenarios that
apply to them. "