This research examined how visualization can be used to monitor, trace, debug, and design object-oriented systems and code. We examined how to use visualization techniques as a means toward helping programmers better understand what their programs are doing. In one project, we developed new visualizations of large C++ programs, showing their message traffic and instance creation. In another project, we developed a system called GROOVE that helps programmers design object-oriented protocols in a graphical, animated manner.

Pictured above is a sample view from the GROOVE system. The triangles represent classes, the circles represent instances, and the rectangles represent function. Invocation is shown using an animated arrow. Color helps illustrate class hierarchies and relationships.

We are also worked on visualization techniques for understanding the NEO distributed object system from Sun.

Jerding, Dean and Stasko, John, "The Information Mural: A Technique for Displaying and Navigating Large Information Spaces," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Vol. 4, No. 3, July-Sept. 1998, pp 257-271.

Jerding, Dean, Stasko, John T., and Ball, Thomas "Visualizing Interactions in Program Executions," Proceedings of the 1997 International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE-97), Boston, MA, May 1997, pp. 360-370.

Jerding, Dean and Stasko, John T., " Visualizing Message Patterns in Object-Oriented Program Executions", Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, Technical Report GIT-GVU-96-15, May 1996.

Jerding, Dean and Stasko, John T., "Using Information Murals in Visualization Applications" (Formal Demonstration), Proceedings of the ACM UIST '95 Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, November 1995, pp. 73-74.

Jerding, Dean and Stasko, John T., "The Information Mural: A Technique for Displaying and Navigating Large Information Spaces", Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Information Visualization, Atlanta, GA, October 1995, pp. 43-50.

Shilling, John J. and Stasko, John T., "Using Animation to Design Object-Oriented Systems", Object Oriented Systems, Vol. 1, No. 1, September 1994, pp. 5-19.

Jerding, Dean F. and Stasko, John T., " Using Visualization to Foster Object-Oriented Program Understanding", Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, Technical Report GIT-GVU-94-33, July 1994.

Shilling, John J. and Stasko, John T., " Using Animation to Design, Document and Trace Object-Oriented Systems", Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, Technical Report GIT-GVU-92-12, June 1992.