Informational and Computational Equivalence in Comparing Information Modeling Methods

Information modeling methods are key to the success of IS development projects. The problem in the software engineering field is not the lack of modeling methods, but the proliferation of modeling methods with little theoretical foundation and empirical evidence to support their usefulness. Evaluation techniques are, therefore, necessary to compare and contrast these modeling methods. In this paper, we suggest an evaluation approach based on the human information processing paradigm and the theory of equivalence of representations. This evaluation approach proposes that modeling methods can be evaluated and compared using two criteria: informational and computational equivalence.