AHA! Strategies for Gaining Insights into Software Design

TL;DR

This paper presents patterns for uncovering novel insights in software design by exploiting inconsistencies between theory and practice, aiming to stimulate research, critique, and new methods.

Contribution

It introduces specific strategies and patterns for gaining actionable insights into software design through analyzing inconsistencies.

Findings

Patterns effectively reveal unorthodox insights

Strategies stimulate new research directions

Techniques help critique existing practices

Abstract

These patterns describe the strategies I use to find novel or unorthodox insights in the area of software design and research. The patterns are driven by inconsistencies between what we say and what we do, and they provide techniques for finding actionable insights to address these inconsistencies. These insights may help to identify research opportunities; they may stimulate critiques of either research or practice; they may suggest new methods.