Use case diagrams in software engineering
Pro Research Analysisby 
Searched over 200M research papers
Use Case Diagrams in Software Engineering: Key Concepts and Elements
Use case diagrams are a fundamental tool in software engineering for modeling the interactions between users (actors) and a system. They visually represent how users achieve their goals using the system, typically through a set of use cases, actors, associations, and relationships such as "include" and "extend" . These diagrams help teams understand system functionality and user interactions at a high level, making them valuable for both requirements gathering and communication among stakeholders 210.
Role of Use Case Diagrams in Requirements Engineering
Use case diagrams play a central role in requirements engineering by capturing functional requirements in a way that is accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. They are often used early in the development process to clarify what the system should do and to ensure that all user needs are considered 24. By providing a clear visual representation, use case diagrams help reduce misunderstandings and improve the quality of requirements elicitation and specification 2410.
Automation and Tool Support for Use Case Diagram Generation
Manual creation of use case diagrams can be time-consuming and prone to errors, especially when dealing with complex or evolving requirements. Recent research has focused on automating the generation of use case diagrams from textual requirements or user stories using natural language processing (NLP) techniques 45. These automated approaches use NLP to extract actors, use cases, and relationships from structured or unstructured text, applying logical rules and heuristics to generate accurate diagrams more efficiently and consistently 45. Tools leveraging these methods have demonstrated high accuracy in symbol recognition and diagram generation, significantly reducing the effort required from software engineers 345.
Formalization, Consistency, and Semantic Analysis
The informality of traditional use case diagrams can lead to inconsistencies and defects early in the development cycle. To address this, researchers have proposed more formal structures and semantics for use case diagrams, making them machine-readable while retaining their readability for humans 16. Formalizing the syntax and semantics of use case diagrams enables more precise comparison between different versions or variants, supporting tasks such as semantic differencing and feature analysis in software product lines 67. Automated approaches can also detect commonalities and variabilities across diagram variants, aiding in product line engineering and system evolution .
Educational and Methodological Support
Use case diagrams are not only important in practice but also in software engineering education. Ontologies and methodological assistants have been developed to provide a common reference for teaching use case diagram concepts and to guide students and practitioners in creating high-quality diagrams 89. These resources help bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring that learners understand both the elements and the best practices for use case modeling 89.
Integration with Other UML Artifacts and System Design
Use case diagrams serve as a foundation for other UML diagrams, such as sequence diagrams and activity diagrams, by providing a high-level overview of system functionality and user interactions . They also facilitate the integration of formal specifications with user interface prototyping, supporting the design of complex systems with requirements like time and security constraints .
Conclusion
Use case diagrams are a powerful and widely used tool in software engineering for modeling system requirements and user interactions. Advances in automation, formalization, and educational support have enhanced their effectiveness, making them more robust, consistent, and accessible. By bridging the gap between stakeholders and technical teams, use case diagrams continue to play a crucial role in the successful development of software systems 1234+6 MORE.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
Producing robust use case diagrams via reverse engineering of use case descriptions
This paper proposes a structure and process for detecting and eliminating potential defects in use case models, while maintaining readability and retaining natural language, while allowing machine readable models and diagrams.
Use Cases and Scenarios Engineering in Smart Software Application Development Services
UML use case modeling and scenario engineering techniques improve software quality and reduce costs by effectively eliciting requirements and managing complex requirements.
DOI
Transforming Sketches of UML Use Case Diagrams to Models
This paper presents a methodology for transforming use case diagram sketches into standardized UML models, using a Faster R-CNN network and Google Cloud Vision API for object detection and text recognition.
A Use Case Diagrams ontology that can be used as common reference for Software Engineering education
The developed ontology effectively serves as a common reference for creating training and educational material in Software Engineering courses, benefiting from expert software engineers' feedback.
Use Case Diagram Design For Information System Services To Students At The Faculty Of Engineering Universitas Negeri Medan
The use case diagram effectively explains user-system interactions in the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Medan, aiding in system design and implementation.
DOI