Publications

@inproceedings{Muller2018,

title = {Towards an Open Source Stack to Create a Unified Data Source for Software Analysis and Visualization},

author = {Richard Müller and Dirk Mahler and Michael Hunger and Jens Nerche and Markus Harrer},

doi = {10.1109/VISSOFT.2018.00019},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-01-01},

booktitle = {6th IEEE Working Conference on Software Visualization},

publisher = {IEEE},

address = {Madrid, Spain},

abstract = {The beginning of every software analysis and visualization process is data acquisition. However, there are various sources of data about a software system. The methods used to extract the relevant data are as diverse as the sources are. Furthermore, integration and storage of heterogeneous data from different software artifacts to form a unified data source are very challenging. In this paper, we introduce an extensible open source stack to take the first step to solve these challenges. We show its feasibility by analyzing and visualizing JUnit and provide answers regarding the schema, selection, and implementation of software artifacts' data.},

keywords = {D3, graph database, Java, JavaScript, jQAssistant, jQAssistant dashboard, Neo4j, open source, query, React, schema, software analysis, software visualization},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Baum2018,

title = {Visualizing Design Erosion: How Big Balls of Mud are Made},

author = {David Baum and Jens Dietrich and Craig Anslow and Richard Müller},

doi = {10.1109/VISSOFT.2018.00022},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-01-01},

booktitle = {6th IEEE Working Conference on Software Visualization},

publisher = {IEEE},

address = {Madrid, Spain},

abstract = {Software systems are not static, they have to undergo frequent changes to stay fit for purpose, and in the process of doing so, their complexity increases. It has been observed that this process often leads to the erosion of the systems design and architecture and with it, the decline of many desirable quality attributes, such as maintainability. This process can be captured in terms of antipatterns - atomic violations of widely accepted design principles. We present a visualisation that exposes the design of evolving Java programs, highlighting instances of selected antipatterns including their emergence and cancerous growth. This visualisation assists software engineers and architects in assessing, tracing and therefore combating design erosion. We evaluated the effectiveness of the visualisation in four case studies with ten participants.},

keywords = {antipattern, Getaviz, Java, software visualization},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/vissoft/BaumSKE017,

title = {GETAVIZ: Generating Structural, Behavioral, and Evolutionary Views of Software Systems for Empirical Evaluation},

author = {David Baum and Jan Schilbach and Pascal Kovacs and Ulrich Eisenecker and Richard Müller},

doi = {10.1109/VISSOFT.2017.12},

isbn = {978-1-5386-1003-9},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-01-01},

booktitle = {5th IEEE Working Conference on Software Visualization},

pages = {114--118},

publisher = {IEEE},

address = {Shanghai, China},

abstract = {Software visualizations are used to support stakeholders in software engineering activities like development, project management, and maintenance. The respective tasks determine which aspects of software, i.e., structural, behavioral and/or evolutionary information, need to be visualized. To promote the usage of software visualizations they have to optimally support the needs of the respective stakeholder for the specific task at hand. Therefore, we see the necessity to create innovative visualizations and to optimize existing ones. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to empirically evaluate the different visualizations and their variants. In this paper, we present GETAVIZ as a toolset to support these processes, i.e., designing visualizations, generating task-and role specific visualizations, and conducting empirical evaluations. The toolset implements the concept of generative and model-driven software visualization and makes it possible to generate different visualizations for all three aspects of software. Its strength lies in its adaptability, so that new visualizations and variations of existing ones can be implemented easily. In addition to the generator this toolset contains several extractors for different programming languages, a browser-based user interface for viewing and interacting with visualizations, and an evaluation server to facilitate the execution of local and remote experiments. The paper illustrates the capabilities of GETAVIZ and it discusses plans for its further development.},

keywords = {empirical evaluation, evaluation process, Getaviz, Java, JavaScript, software visualization, user interface, visualization metaphor, X3D, X3DOM},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Muller2015b,

title = {The Recursive Disk Metaphor - A Glyph-based Approach for Software Visualization},

author = {Richard Müller and Dirk Zeckzer},

doi = {10.5220/0005342701710176},

year  = {2015},

date = {2015-01-01},

booktitle = {6th International Conference on Visualization Theory and Applications},

pages = {171--176},

address = {Berlin, Germany},

abstract = {In this paper, we present the recursive disk metaphor, a glyph-based visualization for software visualization. The metaphor represents all important structural aspects and relations of software using nested circular glyphs. The result is a shape with an inner structural consistency and a completely defined orientation. We compare the recursive disk metaphor to other state-of-the-art 2D approaches that visualize structural aspects and relations of software. Further, a case study shows the feasibility and scalability of the approach by visualizing an open source software system in a browser.},

keywords = {glyph-based visualization, Java, JavaScript, software visualization, X3D, X3DOM},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Muller2015a,

title = {Past, Present, and Future of 3D Software Visualization - A Systematic Literature Analysis},

author = {Richard Müller and Dirk Zeckzer},

doi = {10.5220/0005325700630074},

year  = {2015},

date = {2015-01-01},

booktitle = {6th International Conference on Visualization Theory and Applications},

pages = {63--74},

address = {Berlin, Germany},

abstract = {The ongoing 2D vs. 3D research debate from information visualization also affects software visualization. There are many 2D, 3D, and combinations of 2D and 3D visualizations for software representing its structure, behavior, or evolution. This study contributes findings to this debate and presents the results of analyzing the applications of 3D in software visualization with the objectives to outline the state-of-the-art, to reveal trends, and to identify research gaps. The analysis combined a systematic mapping study to get an overview and a systematic literature review to gain deeper insights. The relevant papers were identified by three different search strategies (manual browsing, keyword, and backward search). Starting with a set of 4386 publications from the fields of information and software visualization 155 relevant papers dealing with 2D & 3D or 3D software visualizations were identified. These papers were analyzed according to dimensionality, aspect, year, evaluation method, and application of the third dimension. In a nutshell, the majority of 3D software visualizations represents the structural aspect, is either evaluated using case studies showing working examples or not evaluated at all, and applies a 2D layout using the third dimension for displaying software metrics.},

keywords = {3D, literature study, software visualization},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Muller2014b,

title = {How to Master Challenges in Experimental Evaluation of 2D versus 3D Software Visualizations},

author = {Richard Müller and Pascal Kovacs and Jan Schilbach and Dirk Zeckzer},

doi = {10.1109/3DVis.2014.7160097},

year  = {2014},

date = {2014-01-01},

booktitle = {IEEE VIS 2014 International Workshop on 3DVis: Does 3D really make sense for Data Visualization?},

address = {Paris, France},

abstract = {Software visualizations in 3D and virtual reality are an interesting and debated research topic in academia. However, the benefits and drawbacks of 3D software visualizations in immersive environments compared to its 2D counterparts are not very well understood due to the lack of empirical evaluations. The challenge is to plan valid experiments with analogous 2D and 3D visualization techniques, while avoiding various influence factors and minimizing the threats to validity. In this paper, we present an experiment as part of a series using a structured approach to meet these challenges.},

keywords = {2D, 3D, controlled experiment, software visualization, virtual reality},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Muller2014a,

title = {A Structured Approach for Conducting a Series of Controlled Experiments in Software Visualization},

author = {Richard Müller and Pascal Kovacs and Jan Schilbach and Ulrich Eisenecker and Dirk Zeckzer and Gerik Scheuermann},

doi = {10.5220/0004835202040209},

year  = {2014},

date = {2014-01-01},

booktitle = {5th International Conference on Visualization Theory and Applications},

pages = {204--209},

address = {Lisbon, Portugal},

abstract = {In the field of software visualization controlled experiments are an important instrument to investigate the specific reasons, why some software visualizations excel the expectations on providing insights and ease task solving while others fail doing so. Despite this, controlled experiments in software visualization are rare. A reason for this is the fact that performing such evaluations in general, and particularly performing them in a way that minimizes the threats to validity, is hard to accomplish. In this paper, we present a structured approach on how to conduct a series of controlled experiments in order to give empirical evidence for advantages and disadvantages of software visualizations in general and of 2D vs. 3D software visualizations in particular.},

keywords = {3D, controlled experiment, evaluation, software visualization},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Muller2011a,

title = {Identifikation der Potenziale dreidimensionaler Softwarevisualisierung - Zielstellung und Vorgehen},

author = {Richard Müller},

editor = {Ralf Reussner and Alexander Pretschner and Stefan Jähnichen},

url = {https://dl.gi.de/handle/20.500.12116/19899},

year  = {2011},

date = {2011-01-01},

booktitle = {Software Engineering 2011 - Workshopband},

pages = {291--296},

publisher = {Gesellschaft für Informatik},

address = {Bonn},

abstract = {Die Softwarevisualisierung ist ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der ingenieurmäßigen Softwareentwicklung. Sie macht statische, dynamische und evolutionäre Aspekte von Softwareartefakten in den verschiedenen Phasen des Softwarelebenszyklus sichtbar. Mithilfe von aufgaben- und rollenspezifischen Sichten kann die Software schneller verstanden und ihr Entwicklungsprozess besser gesteuert und kontrolliert werden. Das zentrale Ziel der Arbeit liegt in der Optimierung des Softwareentwicklungsprozesses, indem Nutzenpotenziale der dreidimensionalen Softwarevisualisierung für einzelne Aufgaben dieses Prozesses identifiziert werden. Der tatsächliche Nutzen dieser Potenziale soll dann theoretisch und empirisch überprüft werden und neue Erkenntnisse für Wissenschaft und Praxis liefern.},

keywords = {3D, software visualization},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}

@inproceedings{Muller2011b,

title = {Generative Software Visualization: Automatic Generation of User-Specific Visualizations},

author = {Richard Müller and Pascal Kovacs and Jan Schilbach and Ulrich Eisenecker},

url = {https://www.inf.ovgu.de/inf_media/downloads/forschung/technical_reports_und_preprints/2011/TechReport10.pdf},

year  = {2011},

date = {2011-01-01},

booktitle = {International Workshop on Digital Engineering},

pages = {45--49},

address = {Magdeburg, Germany},

abstract = {Software visualization provides tools and methods to create role- and task-specific views on software systems to enhance the development and maintenance process. However, the effort to produce customized and optimized visualizations is still high. Hence, we present our approach of combining the generative and themodel driven paradigmand applying it to the field of software visualization. Based on this approach we want to implement a generator that allows to automatically generate software visualizations in 2d, 2.5d, 3d, or for virtual reality environments according to user-specific requirements.},

keywords = {automation, generative and model-driven software visualization, model driven visualization, software visualization, software visualization families},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}