A First Step in Developing a Web Application Design Methodology: Understanding the Environment

Abstract

The development of applications for the World Wide Web is different from the development of applications for traditional information systems environments. Not only do the applications themselves differ in terms of audience and scope, but the individuals developing these applications are also quite different from traditional system designers. A study of web application designers indicates that a large percentage of “informationproviding” web applications are developed outside of the IS function, by individuals with little or no knowledge of traditional IS development methods, and with no organizational guidelines or standards in place. To determine what might be useful in a web application design method, a web development project was studied and a suggested design methodology was identified.