Adapting the User Interface of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for Novice Users

By: Ying Zou, Michael Lerner, Alex Leung, Scott Morisson, Matt Wringe

Abstract

Novice users, such as first year undergraduate students, often have difficulty in understanding many of the features provided in an IDE and have a hard time locating the appropriate menu elements. We propose an Adaptive User Interface (AUI) architecture which provides a simplified UI for the Eclipse IDE. The AUI assists novice users in using complex IDEs. We develop adaptive algorithms that modify the existing menu system for the Eclipse IDE based on statistical user interaction patterns.

Cite as:

Ying Zou, Michael Lerner, Alex Leung, Scott Morisson, Matt Wringe, “Adapting the User Interface of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for Novice Users”, Journal of Object Technology, Volume 7, no. 7 (September 2008), pp. 55-74, doi:10.5381/jot.2008.7.7.a1.