Software visualization for debugging
Ron Baecker, Chris DiGiano, Aaron Marcus · Communications of the ACM · 1997
Software visualization is the systematic and imaginative use of the technology of interactive computer graphics and the disciplines of graphic design, typography, color, cinematography, animation, and sound design to enhance the comprehension of algorithms and computer programs. This article demonstrate that, graphical and auditory representations of programs' are useful in debugging and can enliven and enrich programming as a cognitively accessible multimedia experience. To illustrate these ideas, authors present three visualization approaches -- algorithm animation, typographic source code presentation, and interactive auralization for debugging. The three software visualization approaches described here are useful for debugging. Carefully crafted algorithm animations can show how programs work; enhanced typographic representations can improve the readability and comprehensibility of source code; and an interactive environment can let programmers specify software visualizations, including audio portraits of running programs.