Domain Analysis Requirements

Domain analysis, also known as domain engineering or product line analysis, is a process of understanding and modeling the problem domain in software design. It aims to identify commonalities and variabilities among a set of similar systems or applications, enabling efficient software development through reuse, adaptation, and customization. The requirements for domain analysis in software design involve several activities and considerations, including the following:

1. Domain identification and scoping: Before starting the domain analysis, you need to identify the domain, its boundaries, and the scope of the analysis. This includes understanding the domain's key characteristics, stakeholders, and existing systems or applications within the domain.
2. Domain knowledge acquisition: Acquire domain knowledge through various sources such as documentation, domain experts, existing systems, and literature. This knowledge helps in understanding the domain's underlying concepts, processes, rules, and constraints.
3. Feature modeling: Analyze and model the features of the domain. Features are the visible characteristics or capabilities of a system that are relevant to its stakeholders. Identify commonalities and variabilities among different systems in the domain and represent them in a feature model, which is often visualized as a feature diagram. Domain modeling: Create models that capture the domain's essential concepts, relationships, and constraints. This can include creating class diagrams, state diagrams, sequence diagrams, or other UML models to represent the problem domain. These models should be detailed enough to support the development of specific applications within the domain.
4. Architectural modeling: Define the domain's high-level software architecture, including components, connectors, and their interactions. This helps in designing a reusable and modular architecture that can be adapted for different applications within the domain.
5. Design Patterns and Frameworks: Identify reusable design patterns and frameworks that can be used to build systems within the domain. These can help in promoting consistency, efficiency, and maintainability across different applications.
6. Reusable Assets Identification: Identify and catalog reusable assets such as code libraries, components, and tools that can be used across different systems within the domain. This enables efficient development and promotes consistency across applications.
7. Domain-specific languages (DSLs): Consider developing a domain-specific language that can be used to describe and build systems within the domain. DSLs can help improve productivity, maintainability, and communication between domain experts and software developers.
8. Documentation and guidelines: Document the results of domain analysis, including domain models, feature models, architecture models, design patterns, frameworks, and reusable assets. Provide guidelines on how to use and adapt these assets to build specific applications within the domain.
9. Validation and verification: Validate and verify the domain analysis results with domain experts and stakeholders. This ensures the accuracy, completeness, and relevance of the analysis for the target domain.

By following these requirements and activities, domain analysis in software design can lead to a better understanding of the problem domain, promote software reuse, and enable more efficient development of systems within the domain.

To create and submit diagramming exercises, you must have access to a drawing tool capable of making a GIF file. For example, you might choose a tool such as Corel Draw, Visio, or a freeware product. Later in this module, the details of exercise submission are outlined.

If you use an object-oriented (OO) modeling computer-assisted software engineering (CASE) tool, you will still have to be able to save your diagram as a GIF to submit your work. If you do not have a CASE tool, you might consider searching for an evaluation copy. However, a CASE tool is not required for this course. In most cases a drawing tool (such as MS Word draw feature) will suffice.
The course will not provide support for any drawing tool or CASE tools, and instructions will not be provided on how to use any of these tools.

Some simple tools for modeling:

1. Index cards: The eXtreme Programming (XP) community endorses the use of standard index cards for a wide variety of modeling techniques, and in particular (CRC) Class Responsibility Collaborator modeling.
2. Post-It notes: Post-It notes are also an option for you, for example you can develop an abstract user interface prototype using Post-Its on large sheets of paper. This is part of a technique called (ß)essential user interface modeling.
3. Paper: Pieces of paper, or index cards, tacked onto a whiteboard and connected by strings can be used for a wide variety of models. For example the individual sheets of paper can represent database tables and the lines relationships between tables on a physical data model, or the sheets can represent screens and the strings navigation flows between screens on a user interface flow diagram, or the sheets can represent use cases and actors and the strings represent associations between them on a UML use case diagram.
4. Whiteboards: A whiteboard for sketching on is likely the most common modeling tool in use. A digital camera can easily make copies of sketches that you want to keep.

(ß) User interface modeling is a development technique used by computer application programmers. Today's user interfaces are complex software components, which play an essential role in the usability of an application. The development of UIs requires therefore, not only guidelines and best practice reports, but also a development process including the elaboration of visual models and a standardized notation for this visualization