Recent Trends in Software Design

¶ … Software Design Today, an enormous network of computer-based applications are driving the global economy and providing consumers with innovative ways to shop, recreate, educate and pursue livelihoods that were once the purview of brick-and-mortar organizations only. Not surprisingly, in this environment, software design has assumed new importance and relevance for public and private organizations of all sizes and types.

To determine recent trends in software design, this paper provides a review of a recent peer-reviewed journal article entitled "Learning & Personality Types: A Case Study of a Software Design Course" by Ahmed, Campbell, and Jaffer (2010) concerning this topic, followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning current trends in software design in the conclusion. Review and Analysis According to Ahmed et al.

(2010), irrespective of the purpose or context of a software application, the design process involves the translation of a given initiative into computer code that can be operated on any computer with the requisite capabilities. From a conventional perspective, the software design process is "a scientific approach to problem solving typically consisting of observing the characteristics of some phenomenon, making measurements of these, building a theory to explain them, and then seeking to verify these" (Ahmed et al., 2010, p. 37).

Not only does the software design process integrate a scientific approach to problem solving, it also translates real-world problems into computer code that can address these problems in more efficient ways (Ahmed et al., 2010). In sum, modern software design processes include the full range of user requirements beginning with a given problem and extending to how the application will be implemented and administered.

In this regard, Ahmed and his associates note that, "Software design area is concerned with the transformation of the statement of requirements into a description of how these requirements are to be implemented. Software design consists of activities such as architectural design, abstract specification, interface design, component design, data structure design, tasking design, and algorithm design" (p. 37).

It is important to note, though, that each software design project is unique in some fashion, and although relevant computer code can be reused where appropriate, the outcome of the initiative will differ according to the specific parameters that are used to quantify a desired outcome and the manner in which these parameters are conceptualized. As Ahmed et al. point out, "Software design uses a variety of techniques and forms of representation, each providing a capability for capturing and expressing a different view of the system" (2010, p. 38).

Finally, Ahmed et al. emphasize that although the software design process is typically focused on problem solving capabilities, it is also important to integrate salient human-computer interaction features into the design in order to optimize the application. For instance, Ahmed et al. note that, "Human beings are more complicated and less predictable than computers. Therefore, the complexity.