Give me some REST: A Controlled Experiment to Study Effects and Perception of Model-Driven Engineering with a Domain-Specific Language

Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) are an efficient means to counter accidental complexity and are therefore a key technology for Model-Driven Engineering (MDE). Despite DSLs' potential, there is a lack of empirical research regarding the practical effects and developer perception of DSL-driven tools. In this paper, we present a controlled experiment with 28 participants around a previously developed DSL-based toolchain, which assists the migration of legacy software to REST. A direct comparison of developer performance for a) "DSL toolchain" and b) "classic manual software migration" allowed for analysis, quantification of effects and developer perception, as well as reasoning on general advantages, and DSL-related challenges. In certain cases, we measured a significant correlation between toolchain use and performance gains for developers. Detailed analysis of developer activities suggests the DSL toolchain alleviates tasks which show error-prone or time-consuming in the manual alternative. We then extracted acceptance-hindering factors from participant feedback and derived a series of recommendations for MDE practitioners who seek to develop DSL-based tools.