Tools that perform semi-automated software restructuring (refactoring) are currently under-utilized by programmers. If more programmers adopted refactoring tools, software projects could make enormous productivity gains. However, as more advanced refactoring tools are designed, a great chasm widens between how the tools must be used and how programmers want to use them. This talk discusses work that begins to bridge this chasm by exposing usability guidelines to direct the design of the next generation of programmer-friendly refactoring tools, so that refactoring tools fit the way programmers behave, not vice-versa.

Murphy-Hill is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia. His research area is the intersection of software engineering and human-computer interaction, specifically in how software tools can better support software developers. His research on software restructuring tools has won an ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award and several awards in the ACM Student Research Competition. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Portland State University, and a B.Sc. from The Evergreen State College.