Involving users in the design cycle for parallel tools

Parallel programmers do not use software tools, in spite of the fact that parallel application development is a difficult and time- consuming task that could benefit from tool support. It has become increasingly clear that the simple availability of elegant, powerful software tools employing the latest technology is not enough. Usability is the real key to success; users simply do not adopt tools that fail to respond to their needs. Research in the area of usability engineering indicates that five design principles can have significant impact on parallel tool usability. {sm_bullet} tools must be based on demonstrable user requirements {sm_bullet} actively involve users throughout tool design {sm_bullet} minimize tool complexity to reduce the learning curve {sm_bullet} support the tool across multiple machine platforms to amortize the user`s investment {sm_bullet} employ iterative refinement techniques to improve tool usability. Those principles served as the starting point for a Parallel Tools Consortium project to develop a tool that will help users determine the final state of a program that crashes or is terminated forcibly. Carried out over a period of ten months, the project involved the collaboration of tool researchers, and implementors, and users. This report describes how user-centered design techniques were applied to ensure that the tool would provide simple, intuitive support for the programmer`s task.