When I think back to the TV show Star Trek The Next Generation, the one think that stands out in my mind is the ease of developing new applications. Wesly Crusher would walk up to a computer terminal, touch the screen and draw connections between a few components and BANG the application was modified. WOW the life of a developer would be so easy if that is all took to write or modify applications.

As tool developers we must all ways ask ourselves several questions. How does this tool make the job of developing software easier? When using the tool, how much time is saved when compared to doing the same work by hand?

The last question is a little harder to answer. Sometimes the time saved is not seen when entering the data, but is seen in future interactions with the tool. For example when writing an application it may not quicker to completely model your entire system, but when you have to make a modification to the system or train new team members the time saved may be seen.

So, how do we measure the how much we help our users?