Abstract
Problem statement: Formal notations employ mathematical symbols and interpretation to illustrate system elements. The formality imposed by the notations allows the accuracy and consistency of a system model to be confirmed by verification tools. Formal notations on the other hand are difficult to understand and use by most users. As supporting instruments, verification tools are expected to be as usable as possible to overcome this limitation. Approach: This study presented a survey conducted on two instances of verification tools that support a formal method, namely B. The focus of the survey was to identify the important features that are necessary for verification tools to become usable to users. The survey assessed the tools’ usability based on the Cognitive Dimensions of Notations (CD) framework and several criteria suggested by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Sixty-three participants responded to the survey. The data was analyzed by using the grounded theory. Results: The analysis enabled the identification of abstract concepts and properties that formed a design guideline for usable verification tools. The guideline includes there main aspects; Interface, Utilities and Resources Management. Conclusion: The guideline acts as a roadmap for tool designers to design verification tools that promote the use of formal notations.
Highlights
Formal methods are defined as methods that impose the use of mathematically based approaches to software development
There are two main verification activities involved in the B method; Consistency Checking and Refinement Checking
Based on the captured user experience, the analysis aimed to identify a set of features that are believed to be important for ensuring the usability of verification tools
Summary
Conceptual models specify the characteristics of the existing and future systems. They are mainly produced through the use of a designated modeling notation. The verification tools are expected to overcome this barrier. In a sense, they are assumed to be usable and useful. While graphical notations use visual objects, features are necessary for verification tools to become formal notations use mathematical symbols and useful and usable. The formality imposed by formal notations enables a model to be verified systematically by tools, which are designed to increase model precision and consistency. In the case of B method for instance, this is achieved by using B verification tools such as ProB (Leuschel and Butler, 2003), Atelier-B (ClearSy, 2003). Corresponding Author: Rozilawati Razali, School of Computer Science, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
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