Comparison of a Graphical and a Textual Design Language Using Software Quality Metrics

Henry, Sallie M. and Goff, Roger (1988) Comparison of a Graphical and a Textual Design Language Using Software Quality Metrics. Technical Report TR-88-20, Computer Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Abstract

For many years the software engineering community has been attacking the software reliability problem on two fronts. First via design methodologies, languages and tools as a precheck on quality and second by measuring the quality of produced software as a postcheck. This research attempts to unify the approach to creating reliable software by providing the ability to measure the quality of a design prior to its implementation. A comparison of a graphical and a textual design language is presented in an effort to support research findings that the human brain works more effectively in images than in text.