TY - GEN
T1 - Towards blocks-based prototyping of web applications
AU - Holwerda, Robert
AU - Hermans, Felienne
PY - 2017/11/27
Y1 - 2017/11/27
N2 - The current generation of block languages, with its focus on teaching programming to novices, has not been designed for professionals. In this paper, we argue that blocks-based languages aimed at professional end-user developers face requirements that present challenges to the user interface design of such languages. We discuss three aspects that set potential professional use of block interfaces apart from educational use with children and students, and their implications for the design of blocks-based language editors. These aspects are that professionals: (1) require the editor to support high-productivity, (2) should not be limited by a simplified run-time environment, and (3) need the blocks editor to provide support for working with large programs. These three aspects provide research avenues for extending the usefulness of blocks-based language interfaces. We intend to explore these aspects with the design and development, of a blocks-based prototyping system for web designers. We report some preliminary results from an initial user experience-study in which 4th-year web design students were exposed to a blocks-based version of a language they already knew.
AB - The current generation of block languages, with its focus on teaching programming to novices, has not been designed for professionals. In this paper, we argue that blocks-based languages aimed at professional end-user developers face requirements that present challenges to the user interface design of such languages. We discuss three aspects that set potential professional use of block interfaces apart from educational use with children and students, and their implications for the design of blocks-based language editors. These aspects are that professionals: (1) require the editor to support high-productivity, (2) should not be limited by a simplified run-time environment, and (3) need the blocks editor to provide support for working with large programs. These three aspects provide research avenues for extending the usefulness of blocks-based language interfaces. We intend to explore these aspects with the design and development, of a blocks-based prototyping system for web designers. We report some preliminary results from an initial user experience-study in which 4th-year web design students were exposed to a blocks-based version of a language they already knew.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048252248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85048252248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/BLOCKS.2017.8120408
DO - 10.1109/BLOCKS.2017.8120408
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85048252248
T3 - Proceedings - 2017 IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop, B and B 2017
SP - 41
EP - 44
BT - Proceedings - 2017 IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop, B and B 2017
A2 - Turbak, Franklyn
A2 - Kelleher, Caitlin
A2 - Gray, Jeff
A2 - Sherman, Mark
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - 2nd IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop, B and B 2017
Y2 - 10 October 2017
ER -