Complexity reduction of user tasks

• US 9,740,479 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Diao, Yixin, Sobiesiak, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): MANSFIELD, THOMAS L
• Application Number:
  US14/880,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 705 726
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

An exemplary method for reducing complexity of at least one user task includes steps of calculating a complexity metric for the at least one user task; identifying one or more usability issues having a measurable impact on the complexity metric for the at least one user task; determining one or more recommendations for addressing at least one of the one or more usability issues; and displaying a representation of at least one of the one or more usability issues and of at least one of the one or more recommendations. In an illustrative embodiment, implementing any one of the one or more recommendations reduces the impact of the usability issue on the complexity metric of the at least one user task and thereby reduces a complexity of the at least one user task.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

deploying and executing a plurality of different versions of a software system on one or more computer nodes of a computer network;

executing a computerized process to generate and display a representation of complexity metrics for one or more software tasks corresponding to the different versions of said software system executing on the one or more computer nodes, wherein the computerized process comprises;

capturing user interaction data corresponding to user interactions with graphical user interfaces of the different versions of the software system by one or more users performing the one or more software tasks using the different versions of the software system, wherein the user interaction data comprises an analysis of information with regard to at least one of (i) user navigation flows through the software system when performing the one or more software tasks, (ii) user input of parameter values when performing the one or more software tasks, and (iii) output data generated by the software system in response to actions taken by the one or more users when performing the one or more software tasks;

processing the captured user interaction data to compute a complexity metric for a same software task in each of a plurality of different implementations of the same software task for each of the different versions of the software system, and thereby obtain a plurality of complexity metrics for the same software task for the plurality of different implementations of the same software task in each of said different versions of said software system; and

generating, and displaying a representation of the complexity metrics for the one or more software tasks corresponding to the different versions of said software system;

wherein the representation provides a comparison of respective ones of the plurality of complexity metrics for the same software task corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of different implementations of the same software task in each of said different versions of said software system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining at least one value proposition for at least a first implementation of the plurality of different implementations relative to at least a second implementation of the plurality of different implementations based at least in part on the comparison of the complexity metric for the same software tusk in the first implementation and the complexity metric for the same software task in the second implementation.

3. The method of claim 1, Wherein the plurality of different implementations of the same software task represent implementations of the same software task in different versions of the same software system of a given vendor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different implementations of the same software task represent implementations of the same software task in different versions of a given software system from different vendors.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising stored program instructions, which is coupled to the at least one processor;

wherein the at least one processor is operative to execute the stored program instructions to perform a process comprising;

deploying and executing a plurality of different versions of a software system on one or more computer nodes of a computer network;

executing a computerized process to generate and display a representation of complexity metrics for one or more software tasks corresponding to the different versions of said software system executing on the one or more computer nodes, wherein the computerized process comprises;

capturing user interaction data corresponding to user interactions with graphical user interfaces of the different versions of the software system by one or more users performing the one or more software tasks using the different versions of the software system, wherein the user interaction data comprises an analysis of information with regard to at least one of (i) user navigation flows through the software system when performing the one or more software tasks, (ii) user input of parameter values when performing the one or more software tasks, and (iii) output data generated by the software system in response to actions taken by the one or more users when performing the one or more software tasks;

processing the captured user interaction data to compute a complexity metric for a same software task in each of a plurality of different implementations of the same software task for each of the different versions of the software system, and thereby obtain a plurality of complexity metrics for the same software task for the plurality of different implementations of the same software task in each of said different versions of said software system; and

generating and displaying a representation of the complexity metrics for the one or more software tasks corresponding to the different versions of said software system;

wherein the representation provides a comparison of respective ones of the plurality of complexity metrics for the same software task corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of different implementations of the same software task in each of said different versions of said software system.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is operative to perform the step of determining at least one value proposition for at least a first implementation of the plurality of different implementations relative to at least a second implementation, of the plurality of different implementations based at least in part on the comparison of the complexity metric for the same software task in the first implementation and the complexity metric for the same software task in the second implementation.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, Wherein the plurality of different implementations of the same user task represent implementations of the same software task in different versions of the same software system of a given vendor.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of different implementations of the same user task represent implementations of the same user task in different versions of a given software system from different vendors.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable recordable storage medium including computer usable program code, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code for deploying and executing a plurality of different versions of a software system on one or more computer nodes of a computer network;

computer usable program code for executing a computerized process to generate and display a representation of complexity metrics for one or more software tasks corresponding to the different versions of said software system executing on the one or more computer nodes, wherein the computer usable program code for executing the computerized process comprises;

computer usable program code for capturing user interaction data corresponding to user interactions with graphical user interfaces of the different versions of the software system by one or more users performing the one or more software tasks using the different versions of the software system, wherein the user interaction data comprises an analysis of information with regard to at least one of (i) user navigation flows through the software system when performing the one or more software tasks, (ii) user input of parameter values when performing the one or more software tasks, and (iii) output data generated by the software system in response to actions taken by the one or more users when performing the one or more software tasks;

computer usable program code for processing the captured user interaction data to compute a complexity metric for a same software task in each of a plurality of different implementations of the same software task for each of the different versions of the software system, and thereby obtain a plurality of complexity metrics for the same software task for the plurality of different implementations of the same software task in each of said different versions of said software system; and

computer usable program code for generating and displaying a representation of the complexity metrics for the one or more software tasks corresponding to the different versions of said software system;

wherein the representation provides a comparison of respective ones of the plurality of complexity metrics for the same software task corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of different implementations of the same software task in each of said different versions of said software system.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer usable program code for determining at least one value proposition for at least a first implementation of the plurality of different implementations relative to at least a second implementation of the plurality of different implementations based at least in part on the comparison of the complexity metric for the same software task in the first implementation and the complexity metric for the same software task in the second implementation.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the plurality of different implementations of the same software task represent implementations of the same software task in different versions of the same software system of a given vendor.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the plurality of different implementations of the same software task represent implementations of the same software task in different versions of a Oven software system from different vendors.