A pilot empirical study of applying a usability technique in an open source software project

Abstract Context The growth in the number of non-technical open source software (OSS) application users and the escalating use of these applications have redoubled the need for, and interest in, developing usable OSS. OSS communities are unclear about which techniques to use in each development process activity. Objective The aim of our research is to adapt a usability technique (visual brainstorming) to an OSS project and evaluate the feasibility of its application. Method We used the case study research method to investigate technique application and participation in a project. To do this, we participated as volunteers in the HistoryCal project. Results We identified adverse conditions that were an obstacle to technique application (like it was not easy to recruit OSS users to participate) and modified the technique to make it applicable. Conclusion We conclude that these changes were helpful for applying the technique using web artifacts like blogs.