End-user development (EUD) is a research topic within the field of computer science, describing activities or techniques that allow people who are not professional developers to create or modify a software artifact. A typical example of EUD is macro programming to extend and adapt an office suite, but End User Development is not limited to programming. Other examples of End User Development include the creation and modification of:
- Web pages - plain HTML or HTML and scripting
- Wikis - a collaborative End-User Development process
- Spreadsheets
- 3D models created with end-user oriented tools and approaches such as Sketchup
Cost-Benefit Modelling of End User Development
According to one analysis, EUD essentially out-sources development effort to the end user. Because there is always some effort to learn an EUD tool motivation depends on users' confidence that it will empower their work, save time on the job and/or raise productivity. In this model the benefits to users are initially based on marketing, demonstrations and word-of-mouth. Once the technology is put into use experience of actual benefits becomes the key motivator.[1]
This study defines costs as the sum of:
- Technical cost: the price of the technology and the effort to install it
- Learning cost: the time taken to understand the technology
- Development cost: the effort to develop applications using the technology
- Test and debugging cost: the time taken to verify the system.
The first and second costs are incurred once during acquisition, whereas the third and fourth are incured every time an application is developed. Benefits (which may be perceived or actual) are seen as:
- Functionality delivered by the technology
- Flexibility to respond to new requirements
- Usability of applications produced
- Overall quality of the applications produced.
See also
- End-user computing
- AgentSheets - an end-user development tool to create interactive simulations and educational games
External links
References
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- ^ Sutcliffe, Alistair (2005). "Evaluating the costs and benefits of end-user development" (pdf). ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes. 30 (4). ACM: 1–4. doi:10.1145/1082983.1083241. ISSN 0163-5948. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
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