CASE tools: Masters or servants?

Much of the recent research into the use of CASE tools for specification and design of software systems has focused on the integration of such tools with one another and with related tools. However, much less attention has been directed towards considering how well these tools integrate with current practices. In particular, for software design there is good reason to believe that "opportunistic" design practices are widely employed by software designers, and that few industrial designers use either design methods or CASE tools. In this paper we draw upon some of our own research experiences in a related area to suggest some reasons why this might be so, and to describe some ideas that we are currently exploring to improve our understanding of these reasons. Our conclusion is that the organization and form of the user interface for CASE tools needs to be influenced by the designer's cognitive processes concerning the design, as well as by the need for a consistent form of presentation.<>