Calculation View: multiple-representation editing in spreadsheets

Advait Sarkar, Andrew D. Gordon, Simon Peyton Jones, Neil Toronto

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract / Description of output

Spreadsheet errors are ubiquitous and costly, an unfortunate combination that is well-reported. A large class of these errors can be attributed to the inability to clearly see the underlying computational structure, as well as poor support for abstraction (encapsulation, re-use, etc). In this paper we propose a novel solution: a multiple-representation spreadsheet containing additional representations that allow abstract operations, without altering the conventional grid representation or its formula syntax. Through a user study, we demonstrate that the use of multiple representations can significantly improve user performance when performing spreadsheet authoring and debugging tasks. We close with a discussion of design implications and outline future directions for this line of inquiry.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2018 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC)
Place of PublicationLisbon, Portugal
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Pages85-93
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-5386-4235-1
ISBN (Print)978-1-5386-4236-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Oct 2018

Publication series

Name
PublisherIEEE
ISSN (Print)1943-6092
ISSN (Electronic)1943-6106

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • computational linguistics
  • human computer interaction
  • program debugging
  • spreadsheet programs
  • calculation view
  • multiple-representation editing
  • spreadsheet errors
  • abstraction
  • multiple-representation spreadsheet
  • abstract operations
  • multiple representations
  • user performance
  • debugging tasks
  • computational structure
  • spreadsheet authoring
  • Syntactics
  • Task analysis
  • Visualization
  • Semantics
  • Debugging
  • Vocabulary
  • Layout

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