Abstract
We describe a set of exploratory field studies in which we examined expert software designers’ documentation strategies. Preliminary studies showed that there is no single agreed upon documentation methodology. However, content analysis of the literature as well as expert interviews indicted that inserted comments fulfil several explanatory functions. A case study of documentation as part of the testing of a prototype toolset indicated that design with reuse requires a great deal of knowledge about the application domain, previous applications and reuse methodology in general. Moreover, documentation tools were extensively used during design. Content analyses and expert interviews highlighted the need for a close match between the design of those tools and the designers’ actual strategies. Some implications concerning the design of support environments are suggested.
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© 1995 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing
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Rouet, JF., Deleuze-Dordron, C., Bisseret, A. (1995). Documentation as Part of Design: Exploratory Field Studies. In: Nordby, K., Helmersen, P., Gilmore, D.J., Arnesen, S.A. (eds) Human—Computer Interaction. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-5041-2896-4_36
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-5041-2896-4_36
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