Software Architectural Design

Architectural design serves as the foundational blueprint that defines the overall structure of a system, its primary components, and their interrelationships. This design phase employs architectural design tools to outline the system’s framework.

High-level design, the second layer of design, shifts the focus to implementing the system, its elements, and components as modules within a software stack. This stage delves into the relationship between data flow and various modules, elucidating how the system will operate.

Detailed design, the third layer of design, delves into the nitty-gritty implementation details that adhere to the specified architectural plan.

System Software

System software is specifically developed to facilitate the execution of computer application programs and hardware. It acts as an orchestrator, managing the interactions between hardware and software components while providing a platform for other software types to operate within.

Maintaining Software Quality

Software quality is evaluated based on whether the software meets both functional and non-functional requirements.

Functional Requirements: These stipulate what the software should accomplish and encompass technical specifics, data manipulation, processing, calculations, and other specific functions that articulate the application’s objectives.

Non-functional Requirements: Also known as quality attributes, these requirements define how the system should operate, including aspects like portability, security, privacy, disaster recovery, and usability.

Software testing is instrumental in identifying and rectifying technical issues within the software’s source code. It assesses overall usability, performance, security, and compatibility to ensure alignment with requirements.

Dimensions of Software Quality

1. Accessibility: Refers to the software’s ability to be used comfortably by a diverse group of individuals, including those who rely on adaptive technologies such as voice recognition and screen magnifiers.

2. Compatibility: Encompasses the software’s suitability for various environments, including different operating systems, devices, and browsers.

3. Efficiency: Evaluates the software’s capacity to perform effectively without unnecessary consumption of energy, effort, time, money, or resources.

4. Installability: Reflects the software’s ease of installation in a specified location or environment.
5. Localization: Addresses the software’s ability to function and adapt to various languages, time zones, and other regional features.

6. Maintainability: Measures how easily the software can be modified to introduce new features, fix bugs, and make improvements.