Supporting Architecture Documentation: A Comparison of Two Ontologies for Knowledge Retrieval

Context: Software architecture documentation is used to communicate architectural knowledge. It is often difficult for document users to find all the architectural knowledge they need to do their tasks, and this results in wasted time and mistakes during development. Objective: In this paper we investigate how ontology-based documentation may support users in finding the architectural knowledge they need. Method:We executed a controlled experiment to test for differences in knowledge retrieval efficiency and effectiveness between two groups of master students that used two ontologies built from different understandings of the ar- chitectural knowledge needs of document users. Results: Use of the ontology built based on a better understanding of architectural knowledge needs was significantly more effi- cient or effective for retrieving part of the knowledge needed by document users. We analysed participants’ search ac- tions and identified which organisation of knowledge in the ontologies resulted in efficient and effective knowledge retrieval. Conclusion: We found that an improved understanding of knowledge needs allows for the construction of an ontology from which document users retrieve knowledge more efficiently and effectively. In some cases we found that the ontology support for knowledge needs had to be traded off against ontology design criteria