Summers, KathrynSouza, Randy2016-12-192016-12-192010-12Souza_baltimore_0942N_10017UB_2010_Souza_Rhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/3712M.S. -- University of Baltimore, 2010Thesis submitted to the School of Information Arts and Technologies at the University of Baltimore in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Information Design and Information Architecture.This thesis applies activity theory to interaction design of a code review tool. The purpose of this project was two-fold: To understand the practice of code review, and to gain insight into the value of activity theory as a framework for interaction design. Decades of research have shown that code reviews are a valuable software engineering tool. But recent studies suggest that many software development organizations do not use code reviews to their full potential. While code review is often acknowledged as a social practice, few studies address the social, cultural, and historical context surrounding programmers as they conduct reviews. This paper uses activity theory to analyze these contextual factors within a department in a commercial software development organization. Code review practice is found to be informal, highly situated, and multi-motivated. Based on these findings, interaction design concepts are proposed for a Web-based tool that supports collaborative construction, execution, and resolution of code reviews.78 leavesapplication/pdfen-USThis item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.activity theorycode reviewinteraction designsoftware inspectionuser interface designHuman-computer interactionInteractive computer systemsComputer softwareAction theoryDesignText