Evaluating a natural language interface for behavioral programming

Abstract

Abstract-In behavioral programming, scenarios are used to program the behavior of reactive systems. Behavioral programming originated in the language of live sequence charts (LSC), a visual formalism based on multi-modal scenarios, and supported by a mechanism for directly executing a system described by a set of LSCs. In an exploratory experiment, we compare programming using LSCs with procedural programming using Java, and seek the best interface for creating the visual artifact of LSCs. Several interfaces for creating LSCs were tested, among them a novel interactive natural language interface (NL). Our preliminary results indicate that even experts in procedural programming preferred the LSCs NL interface over the Java alternative, and their implementation times were comparable to those of the other interfaces tested. The results indicate that the NL interface, combined with the scenario-based essence of LSCs, may be a viable alternative to conventional programming.

Behavioral Programming With a Subset of Natural Language: An Evaluation Study

“…We asked the novice programmer to learn the CNL for LSCs on her own, using the PlayGo website [http://wiki.weizmann.ac.il/playgo/index.php/Main_Page] and the tutorial used in (Gordon & Harel, 2012).…”

Steps towards Scenario-Based Programming with a Natural Language Interface

“…Experiments we have carried out [16] show that when the interface is a mouse and keyboard, show & tell combinations may not be more convenient for people who type quickly. Our experiments also expose the learnability of the NL-play-in approach.…”