Contact
Prof. Dr. Volker Wulf
Phone: +49 2241 14-2993
volker.wulf@fit.fraunhofer.de
Component-based End User Development
IT systems in the field have to be changed or extended quite frequently – often because use scenarios evolve during actual use. In many cases the software providers become aware of the need for product enhancements only through the users’ initiative. Concepts like Open Innovation, Participatory Design, Mass Customization and Tailorability address different aspects of this problem. They are brought together in the holistic concept End-User Development - EUD.
The BMBF-funded CoEUD project combines EUD with the idea of component-based systemsThat aims to assemble and flexibly adapt applications from existing components. CoEUD will advance the technology and investigate its effects, the benefits and risks involved.
The CoEUD project picked Eclipse as its platform because Eclipse is strictly component-based, has a large componentpool and is widely used. To make the EUD potential of Eclipse Rich Client Platform RCP available to end-users, CoEUD extends the platform, following the “easy-to-adapt” principle.
One such add-on is an integrated appropriation infrastructure that gives end-users immediate access to software components and to the corresponding communication channels. CoEUD will test and enhance this infrastructure in several fields, e.g. software development, groupware, control systems and E-Learning.