Usability of Generic Software in e-Research Infrastructures
Harms, Patrick ; Grabowski, Jens
Citable Link (URL):http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gs-1/9238
Journal Article (Published version)
First published (peer reviewed)
Journal of the Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science 2011; 1(3)
Abstract
In e-Research Infrastructures (eRIs), software is used in diverse application contexts. To support this
software is often implemented generically. The usability of software is strongly context dependent.
Therefore, the use of generic software in different application contexts results in varying degress of
usability depending on the concrete usage scenario. This paper focuses on the challenges of
implementing usability-oriented generic software. First, we provide an introduction to generic
software in the context of eRIs. Next, we offer an overview of usability and appropriate
considerations in the software development process. Based on this, we demonstrate discrepancies
between good usability and the application of generic software in distinct contexts. Finally, we
provide a first architectural concept to address the identified challenges.