Combining experiments and grounded theory to evaluate a research prototype: Lessons from the umple model-oriented programming technology

Research prototypes typically lack the level of quality and readiness required for industrial deployment. Hence, conducting realistic experimentation with professional users that reflect real life tasks is challenging. Experimentation with toy examples and tasks suffers from significant threats to external validity. Consequently, results from such experiments fail to gain confidence or mitigate risks, a prerequisite for industrial adoption. This paper presents two empirical studies conducted to evaluate a model-oriented programming language called Umple; a grounded theory study and a controlled experiment of comprehension. Evaluations of model-oriented programming is particularly challenging. First, there is a need to provide for highly sophisticated development environments for realistic evaluation. Second, the scarcity of experienced users poses additional challenges. In this paper we discuss our experiences, lessons learned, and future considerations in the evaluation of a research prototype tool.