CodePad: interactive spaces for maintaining concentration in programming environments

When software developers work with a program's source code, the structure of the source code often requires that they split their attention simultaneously across several documents and artifacts. Disruptions to programmers' concentration caused by overwhelmed capacity can then lead to programming errors and increases in the time to perform a task. We suggest the addition of peripheral interactive spaces to programming environments for supporting developers in maintaining their concentration. We introduce the novel concept of a CodePad, a peripheral, multi-touch enabled display that allows developers to engage with and manipulate multiple programming artifacts. We illustrate visualizations built for a CodePad that support multiple development scenarios and we describe how developers can coordinate the interaction and communication between a CodePad and a programming environment in personal and collaborative tasks. Additionally, we propose a design space for other visualization...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: SOFTVIS
• Authors: Chris Parnin, Carsten Görg, Spencer Rugaber
• Keywords: Peripheral Interactive Spaces, Programming Environment, SOFTVIS 2010, Source Code, Visualization