1.3: Daily Video 1

How is a program developed?

It all starts with an idea.

  • Programs are developed with a specific purpose in mind
  • Developers follow specific steps and stick to their plan
  • At times, the development is more exploratory than anything, and the steps are dictated by what happens (both good and bad)

Developers start investigating the problem/purpose and reflect

  • Investigation is an important step in the process
  • Developers must:
    • determine the requirements of the program
    • understand the constraints
    • understand the user concerns and interests
  • How do developers investigate?
    • surveys
    • user testing
    • interviews
    • direct observations

After initial investigation and reflection…

  • Developers design the program by
    • brainstorming (draw on investigation)
    • storyboarding the program
    • planning user experience
    • laying out the user interface
    • organizing into modules
    • develop a testing strategy
  • Developers decide on the program requirements that…
    • describe how a program should behave
    • include a list of user interactions
  • The program specifications outline all of the requirements
  • Developers create a prototype of the program (or components):
    • a gradual process is frequently used so that developers can refine small parts (modules) of the program

Testing, testing, and more testing!

  • Developers test the program every step of the way
  • Testing occurs at the
    • micro level
    • macro level
  • Developers refine and revise through testing, feedback, and reflection

Daily Video 1 Personal Takeaways

After watching the first daily video of 1.3, I now realize that if I want to have my idea for the final project behave like it is supposed to that numerous trials of the program will have to be run. This way, we can all see what parts of the program should be kept as is and which parts need to be modified to ensure optimal user experience.

1.3: Daily Video 2

How is a program developed?

Program development is seldom a solo endeavor

  • Typically, programs are developed by teams of people
  • Individuals/teams work on different functional components
  • Each member of the project deserves to receive credit for their work
  • Their names must be written in the documentation of the program indicating their contributions to the project

While documentation is an important place to give credit…

  • Many projects use comments within the programming language to give credit
  • This is an important part of the development of the program
  • When developers find a bug/error in a program, they need to be able to determine who can/should fix the problem
  • This may be most useful after a program is completed, and users find additional bugs

Many times developers use code segments, procedures, algorithms, and more that are written by others.

  • These other individuals are not necessarily a part of the project, but they still deserve to be credited
  • Similar to quoting someone in a research paper or article
  • Any code segments, procedures, or algorithms are considered intellectual property of the author
  • The program documentation should include the author’s name and the source of any code segments being used
  • This portion of the documentation may resemble a bibliography or a works cited pages in a research paper

Daily Video 2 Personal Takeways

I now know that any time I use code segments or algorithms, whether they are from my teammates or outside sources, I should always in some way give credit to the original author of that part of the program. This is because any code segments, procedures, or algorithms are considered intellectual property of the author.

1.3: Daily Video 3

How is a program developed?

Programmers create something called program documentation in order to…

  • describe the overall program
  • list program specifications
  • describe…
    • functions/procedures/methods within the code
    • specific code segments
    • list of events and corresponding outputs
    • the development of the program
    • how other programs may interact with the program
  • list of contributors/authors of the program

When does documentation happen?

Documentation happens throughout the development of the program:

  • At the beginning: list specifications
  • During: to keep track of proceess
  • After: to explain the overall process Documentation throughout can improve:
  • efficiency of overall programming process
  • programmers’ ability to test and refine the program
  • programmers’ response to bugs

How do programmers document while programming?

Most programming languages offer a commenting feature, although some do not.

  • Commenting allows programmers to write text within the prgoram
  • This text does not affect the program
  • Comments are for programmers to read
  • This is a form of documentation and can be very usefil when programmers collaborate or work individually

Examples of comments

Text Languages:

  • Python
    • Uses the “#” symbol followed by the comment
  • Java
    • Uses the “//” symbol”
    • /* */ used for multiple line comments
    • /** */ used for multiple line documentation comments
  • Javascript, C/C++, or Swift similar to Java
  • XML/HTML
    • ”<>” used for single or multi line comments
  • Applescript/Pascal
    • ”(Comments)” used for single or multi line

Daily Video 3 Personal Takeways

After watching this video, I now understand why it is important to include comments in code, as it allows one to understand what something does and how it was developed.

Proof of Completon of Quesitons for 1.1-1.3

Although I earned a full score on all of the quizzes, there were a couple of questions that required me to think a little bit more as the examples became more and more specific.