Using Rapid Application Development for Software Development Projects
Abstract
In the modern era where technology is constantly evolving, it is important to evaluate new technological tools and approaches in order to gauge their potential for adoption. Rapid Application Development (RAD) has highly evolved over the years, but it has not seen much response at the university level (University Program - Free Application Development Software Resources, n.d.). Several studies show that perceptions of usability form the basis of acceptance or rejection of new tools and applications. Thus, running a usability study on a specific RAD tool coupled with autoethnographic documentation of specific development experience with that tool has the potential to encourage university faculty/staff to consider teaching/using it. This research study seeks to understand developers’ perceptions regarding the usability aspect of Mendix, a Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed to discover and understand the extent of perceived usefulness, ease of use and satisfaction with the tool. The results of the study presented a case for academicians on the viability of teaching RAD or using Mendix for their web application development needs. The study ultimately sought to help university faculty understand what to expect while teaching RAD to students from computing background and also help them decide if they would like to use tools like Mendix for their software development projects or continue to use specific coding languages (traditional software development) for software development projects.
Degree
M.Sc.
Advisors
Harriger, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Information Technology|Computer science
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