Paper Info
Title
An interactive ambient visualization for code smells
Abstract
Code smells are characteristics of software that indicate that code may have a design problem. Code smells have been proposed as a way for programmers to recognize the need for restructuring their software. Because code smells can go unnoticed while programmers are working, tools called smell detectors have been developed to alert programmers to the presence of smells in their code, and to help them understand the cause of those smells. In this paper, we propose a novel smell detector called Stench Blossom that provides an interactive ambient visualization designed to first give programmers a quick, high-level overview of the smells in their code, and then, if they wish, to help in understanding the sources of those code smells. We also describe a laboratory experiment with 12 programmers that tests several hypotheses about our tool. Our findings suggest that programmers can use our tool effectively to identify smells and to make refactoring judgements. This is partly because the tool serves as a memory aid, and partly because it is more reliable and easier to use than heuristics for analyzing smells.
Year
DOI
Venue
2010
10.1145/1879211.1879216
SOFTVIS
Keywords
Field
DocType
refactoring,visual design,code smells,usability
Computer science,Visualization,SOLID,Usability,Laboratory experiment,Heuristics,Human–computer interaction,Software,Code refactoring,Code smell
Conference
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
59
1.94
23
Authors
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Emerson R. Murphy-hill1128474.35
Andrew P. Black21566366.84