Context-aware user feedback in continuous software evolution

ABSTRACT

User feedback is an important means of validating requirements and discovering new requirements in continuous software evolution. However, users have a low motivation to provide feedback and prefer applications which do not interrupt their work. Due to missing context information, developers have difficulties to analyze feedback, and to integrate it into their development work.

In this paper, we describe CAFE, a context-aware feedback system which consists of: (1) a framework for collecting in-situ user feedback enriched with usage context data; and (2) a process for integrating feedback into a team's development activities. While the process is applicable to all kinds of applications, the implemented framework concentrates on mobile user feedback and its particular challenges.

We evaluated CAFE in a mobile application. Our results indicate that the system is a valuable step toward increasing user motivation to provide feedback and decreasing the developers' effort to integrate feedback, ultimately improving user involvement.

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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Interaction design

    • Interaction design process and methods

      • Participatory design

  • Ubiquitous and mobile computing

    • Ubiquitous and mobile computing systems and tools

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Management of computing and information systems

      • Project and people management

        • Systems development

      • Software management

        • Software maintenance

• Software and its engineering

  • Software creation and management

    • Software post-development issues

      • Software evolution