HCI 2003 End User Development Session Papers

Authors: Alistair Sutcliffe, Darren Lee & Nik Mehandjiev.

Title: Contributions, Costs and Prospects for End-User Development.

Abstract: End-user development (EUD) has been a Holy Grail of software tool developers since James Martin launched 4th generation computing environments in the early eighties. Even though there has been considerable success in adaptable and programmable applications, EUD has yet to become a mainstream competitor in the software development marketplace. This paper presents a framework that critically evaluates the contributions of EUD environments in terms of the domains they can address, the modality and media of user-system communication, and degree of automation in the development process. The second part of the paper describes a socio-economic model of EUD costs and motivations.

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Authors: M.F. Costabile, D. Fogli, C. Letondal, P. Mussio, A. Piccinno.

Title: Domain-Expert Users and their Needs of Software Development.

Abstract: There are several categories of end-users of computer systems, depending on their culture, skills,
and types of tasks they perform. This paper recognizes the problem of ‘user diversity’ even among
people of the same technical or scientific tradition, and focuses on the study of a specific category
of end-users, that we call domain-expert users: they are professionals in some domain different
from computer science, who need to use computers in their daily work. We analyse the activities
they usually perform or are willing to perform with computers and we identify their real needs of
carrying out activities that result in the creation or modification of software artefacts.

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Authors: Boris de Ruyter.

Title: Challenges for End-User Development in CE devices

Abstract: To provide an answer to the potential challenges of technology trends with regard to user-system
interaction, the vision of Ambient Intelligence is introduced. By positioning human needs in the
center of technology developments, Ambient Intelligence requires interactive systems to be
personalized, context-aware, adaptive and anticipatory. Two examples of such systems and
their need for end-user development are discussed.

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Authors: Markus Klann, Markus Eisenhauer, Reinhard Oppermann, Volker Wulf.

Title: Shared initiative: Cross-fertilisation between system adaptivity and adaptability

Abstract: In the present article we investigate a new way of how computer systems can better meet their users’
requirements. We start from the well -known notions of situation-aware adaptivity, automatically
carried out by the system, and adaptations, consciously carried out by the users. We indicate the
shortcomings of both of these approaches and show how they can be compensated for, at least partially,
by the respective other approach. We argue that such a shared initiative of both system and
user adaptations, mutually supporting each other, provides a considerable advantage in keeping a
computer system in line with dynamically changing user-requirements.

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Authors: Philipe Palanque Rémi Bastide.

Title: User-Centered Point of View to End-User Development

Abstract: This paper proposes a user centered point of view for the definition and the construction of end
user development environments. Taking, as input, the seven stages of actions of Norman's action
theory we propose a set of guidelines for easing end user development. The main criteria for the
language are "types of application covered" and "closeness of the language with respect to the
application domain". The main criterion for end user development environment is the "continuous
and permanent feedback" proposed by the environment. These criteria are then exemplified on
PetShop environment that aims at building highly interactive applications providing using the
Interactive Cooperative Objects language (an object-oriented, distributed and concurrent
programming language).

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Author: Fabio Paternò.

Title: From Model-based to Natural Development.

Abstract: Model-based approaches aim to support development through the use of meaningful abstractions
in order to avoid dealing with low-level details. Despite this potential benefit, their adoption has
mainly been limited to professional designers. This paper discusses how they should be extended
in order to obtain environments able to support real end-user development, by which designers can
develop or modify interactive applications still using conceptual models but with a continuous
support that facilitates their development, analysis, and use.

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