Visualization of Feature Dependency Structures : A case study at Scania CV AB

Abstract: As many automotive companies have moved towards a higher degree of variability in the product lines they offer their customers, a necessary need has emerged for so called feature dependency structures that are used to describe product feature dependencies and verify order validity. In this study, the possibility of using a node-link graph representation to visualize such a feature dependency structure and the associated affordances and limitations were investigated by the implementation of a case study at the Swedish automotive company Scania CV AB. Qualitative data gathering methods such as contextual inquiry and semi-structured interviews with employees were used to identify key tasks and issues involved in maintenance and analysis of Scania’s in-house feature dependency structure. These findings were used together with user-supported iterative prototyping to create a few visualization prototypes intended to provide support with performance of some of the identified tasks. User evaluation of the prototypes showed that a node-link graph representation was a viable solution to support users with structure maintenance, exhibiting the following affordances: structure exploration, overview and context. Furthermore, the major limitations of the tested representation were found to be lookup of specific information and access to detail. The findings of this study are expected to be of use for other automotive companies that employ a high degree of feature variability in their product lines through the use of complex feature dependency structures.