TY - GEN
T1 - Assessing the impact of hierarchy on model understandability - a cognitive perspective
AU - Zugal, Stefan
AU - Pinggera, Jakob
AU - Weber, Barbara
AU - Mendling, Jan
AU - Reijers, Hajo A.
PY - 2012/5/10
Y1 - 2012/5/10
N2 - Modularity is a widely advocated strategy for handling complexity in conceptual models. Nevertheless, a systematic literature review revealed that it is not yet entirely clear under which circumstances modularity is most beneficial. Quite the contrary, empirical findings are contradictory, some authors even show that modularity can lead to decreased model understandability. In this work, we draw on insights from cognitive psychology to develop a framework for assessing the impact of hierarchy on model understandability. In particular, we identify abstraction and the split-attention effect as two opposing forces that presumably mediate the influence of modularity. Based on our framework, we describe an approach to estimate the impact of modularization on understandability and discuss implications for experiments investigating the impact of modularization on conceptual models.
AB - Modularity is a widely advocated strategy for handling complexity in conceptual models. Nevertheless, a systematic literature review revealed that it is not yet entirely clear under which circumstances modularity is most beneficial. Quite the contrary, empirical findings are contradictory, some authors even show that modularity can lead to decreased model understandability. In this work, we draw on insights from cognitive psychology to develop a framework for assessing the impact of hierarchy on model understandability. In particular, we identify abstraction and the split-attention effect as two opposing forces that presumably mediate the influence of modularity. Based on our framework, we describe an approach to estimate the impact of modularization on understandability and discuss implications for experiments investigating the impact of modularization on conceptual models.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84860627974&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-642-29645-1_14
DO - 10.1007/978-3-642-29645-1_14
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84860627974
SN - 978-3-642-29644-4
T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
SP - 123
EP - 133
BT - Models in Software Engineering - Workshops and Symposia at MODELS 2011, Reports and Revised Selected Papers
PB - Springer
CY - Berlin
T2 - Workshops and Symposia on Models in Software Engineering, MODELS 2011
Y2 - 16 October 2011 through 21 October 2011
ER -