Quality assessment of an expert system: An instrument of regular feedback from users

Abstract

One of the possible solutions to ensure software quality is to involve users in its development and gradual improvement. In the described approach users provide regular feedback on the considered expert system in a survey by questionnaire. In the presented paper there are given guidelines on how to design and conduct such survey. The devised quality tree reflects the users' point of view. Specifications formulated on the basis of the feedback allow software designers to develop improved versions of the considered intelligent system. The reported empirical research refers to an expert system applied in civil engineering. After six iterations of its assessment and then its related improvements the level of users' satisfaction from the product is currently much better than that at the beginning. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.