Article

A qualitative study on user guidance capabilities in product configuration tools

Authors:

Paul Grünbacher,

Martin LehoferAuthors Info & Claims

ASE '12: Proceedings of the 27th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering

Pages 110 - 119

https://doi.org/10.1145/2351676.2351693

Published: 03 September 2012 Publication History

Abstract

Software systems are nowadays often configured by sales people, domain experts, or even customers instead of engineers. Configuration tools communicate the systems' variability to these end users and provide guidance for selecting and customizing the available features. However, even if a configuration tool creates technically correct systems, addressing the specific needs of business-oriented users remains challenging. We analyze existing configuration tools to identify key capabilities for guiding end users and discuss these capabilities using the cognitive dimensions of notations framework. We present an implementation of the capabilities in our configuration tool DOPLER CW. We performed a qualitative investigation on the usefulness of the tool's capabilities for user guidance in product configuration by involving nine business-oriented experts of two industry partners from the domain of industrial automation. We present key results and derive general implications for tool developers.

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Cited By

Meixner KFeichtinger KGreiner SRabiser R(2024)On Configuration Sequences in Feature ModelsProceedings of the 18th International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems10.1145/3634713.3634730(146-148)Online publication date: 7-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3634713.3634730
Heisinger MPiminger FSeidl M(2024)From Decision Models To User-Guiding Configurators Using SMTProceedings of the 18th International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems10.1145/3634713.3634718(11-16)Online publication date: 7-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3634713.3634718
Fadhlillah HSharma SGutierrez Fernandez ARabiser RZoitl A(2023)Delta Modeling in IEC 61499: Expressing Control Software Variability in Cyber-Physical Production Systems2023 IEEE 28th International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA)10.1109/ETFA54631.2023.10275693(1-8)Online publication date: 12-Sep-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFA54631.2023.10275693
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

A qualitative study on user guidance capabilities in product configuration tools
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software creation and management
    1. Designing software
      1. Requirements analysis

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Information

Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

ASE '12: Proceedings of the 27th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering

September 2012

409 pages

ISBN:9781450312042

DOI:10.1145/2351676

General Chair:
Michael Goedicke,
Program Chairs:
Tim Menzies,
Motoshi Saeki

Copyright © 2012 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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SIGSOFT: ACM Special Interest Group on Software Engineering

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SIGAI: ACM Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence
Universität Duisburg Essen: Universität Duisburg Essen
TCSE: IEEE Computer Society's Tech. Council on Software Engin.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 03 September 2012

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ASE'12

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ASE'12: IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering

September 3 - 7, 2012

Essen, Germany

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Cited By

Meixner KFeichtinger KGreiner SRabiser R(2024)On Configuration Sequences in Feature ModelsProceedings of the 18th International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems10.1145/3634713.3634730(146-148)Online publication date: 7-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3634713.3634730
Heisinger MPiminger FSeidl M(2024)From Decision Models To User-Guiding Configurators Using SMTProceedings of the 18th International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems10.1145/3634713.3634718(11-16)Online publication date: 7-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3634713.3634718
Fadhlillah HSharma SGutierrez Fernandez ARabiser RZoitl A(2023)Delta Modeling in IEC 61499: Expressing Control Software Variability in Cyber-Physical Production Systems2023 IEEE 28th International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA)10.1109/ETFA54631.2023.10275693(1-8)Online publication date: 12-Sep-2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFA54631.2023.10275693
Comploi-Taupe RFrancescutto GSchenner GFelfernig AFuentes L(2022)Applying incremental answer set solving to product configurationProceedings of the 26th ACM International Systems and Software Product Line Conference - Volume B10.1145/3503229.3547069(150-155)Online publication date: 12-Sep-2022
https://doi.org/10.1145/3503229.3547069
Michelon GObermann DAssunção WLinsbauer LGrünbacher PFischer SLopez-Herrejon REgyed A(2022)Evolving software system families in space and time with feature revisionsEmpirical Software Engineering10.1007/s10664-021-10108-z27:5Online publication date: 30-May-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10664-021-10108-z
Wiesmayr BZoitl ARabiser R(2021)Assessing the Usefulness of a Visual Programming IDE for Large-Scale Automation Software2021 ACM/IEEE 24th International Conference on Model Driven Engineering Languages and Systems (MODELS)10.1109/MODELS50736.2021.00037(297-307)Online publication date: Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1109/MODELS50736.2021.00037
Rabiser RZoitl A(2021)Towards Mastering Variability in Software-Intensive Cyber-Physical Production SystemsProcedia Computer Science10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.128180:C(50-59)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.128
Safdar SLu HYue TAli SNie K(2021)A framework for automated multi-stage and multi-step product configuration of cyber-physical systemsSoftware and Systems Modeling (SoSyM)10.1007/s10270-020-00803-820:1(211-265)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10270-020-00803-8
Gutierrez ASonnleithner LZoitl ARabiser R(2021)Ansätze zur Beherrschung der Variabilität in Software-intensiven Cyber-Physischen ProduktionssystemenApproaches to mastering variability in software-intensive Cyber-Physical Production Systemse & i Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik10.1007/s00502-021-00916-y138:6(321-329)Online publication date: 11-Aug-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00502-021-00916-y
Han JForbes HSchaefer D(2021)An exploration of how creativity, functionality, and aesthetics are related in designResearch in Engineering Design10.1007/s00163-021-00366-932:3(289-307)Online publication date: 5-May-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-021-00366-9
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