Documentation-Rons-Rules-For-Tools

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Introduction

"Rules for tools" is an informal set of rules that developers should keep in mind when working on interactive tools for translational clinical research. If you follow them, you will create tools that many people will use.

  1. You make it, I break it
  2. Your tool does not exist until it works on my laptop with my data. [1]
  3. I am lazy. Make my life easy. [2]
  4. No more than one simple parameter, that I can set. [3]
  5. If I can take my coffee break while your algorithm is running, I won't return to it. [4]

How To Make Algorithms Robust

  • Build a case library with 10 or more cases
  • Use half for development, cycle through the cases daily
  • Use the other half for testing

References

  1. ↑ Until then, it's an unconfirmed rumor.
  2. ↑ User friendliness:
    • Minimize the number of clicks
    • Minimize the distance my pointer has to travel
    • Have good default values for the parameter and I/O, and allow me to override.
  3. ↑ If I need more than 20 seconds to figure out how to set the parameter, I won't!
  4. ↑ Performance Requirements
    • under a minute is good
    • 5 minutes are acceptable
    • 10 minutes or more are not
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