8.3 “Good” Design Attributes
We all agree that design is an important activity and should be given ample time and attention so that we can develop a good design. But what are the characteristics of a good design? Immediately, we can hear ourselves throw out some of the following popular terms:
Easy to understand
Easy to change
Easy to reuse
Easy to test
Easy to integrate
Easy to code
In our discussions earlier in this chapter describing Halstead, McCabe, Henry-Kafura, and Card and Glass metrics, we alluded to intramodular and intermodular complexities as a factor that relates to software quality. Is there some more fundamental way to characterize a good design besides listing the different “easy to _____” items? They themselves may not be the ...
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