TOUCAN: An IDE Supporting the Development of Effective Interactive Java Applications

Abstract

The TOUCAN IDE (Integrated Development Environment) provides support for building effective interactive applications programmed in Java Swing or in JavaFX. Taking into account the effectiveness factor of usability requires from developers to guarantee that the application allows users to reach their goals and to complete their tasks. This means that users' goals and tasks have been analyzed and that their explicit description is available. By providing support for mapping and co-execution of task descriptions with interactive application software, TOUCAN IDE enables to program an interactive application and, at the same time, to support its effectiveness. In this article we highlight the main features of TOUCAN, as well as its underlying principles for enabling the mapping and co-execution of an interactive application with its associated task models.