FAQ

What is Visualization Driven Development?

Visualization Driven Development (VDD) is the practice of using visualizations to provide feedback on code behavior during development. See What is Visualization Driven Development?

How can I visualize my code?

• Design a visualization. See Visualization Design.
• Capture code execution as data. See Using VDD Core.
• Implement a visualization. See the examples.

What are the benefits of visualizing my code?

TODO answer

Isn't this just a big yak shave?

TODO answer

What about visually impaired software developers?

Software develoment should be tangible and concrete. Sighted developers sometimes overlook the ability to communicate over non-visual channels such as hearing and touch. Expressing information aurally through sonification is an area that could be explored more. vdd-core's goal is to make it easy to deliver information to the browser for visualization. An "auditory display" of data could be used in the browser in place of or alongside a traditional visualization.

What are the differences between Test Driven Development and Visualization Driven Development?

There is some overlap and I would typically recommend doing both in tandem. Visualizations help you find areas where your code may not be working or can help you understand test failures. Visualizations are also often at a different level than unit tests. Visualizations typically help you understand how larger chunks of an application (or a whole application/system) behaves. Unit tests target smaller pieces of code. Visualizations can be interactive to allow testing. This testing is mostly about poking the system to see how it responds. They help answer the question "What happens if I do this?". Problems found while using a visualization should be captured as tests to avoid regressions in the future.