Design Of Web Information Systems Research Articles

Empirical study to assess whether the use of routes facilitates the navigability of web information systems

The design of web information systems (WISs) often relies on a domain model and some informal guidelines, signifying that many design decisions which may directly affect usability are left to the designers. The study presented here has been carried out to analyse whether it is possible to limit this arbitrariness. The authors have therefore carried out a controlled experiment and its replica to test whether it is effectively possible to obtain more easily navigable WISs by using a navigation model, including certain design characteristics, as a starting point. These characteristics are: the use of a main menu which only contains the services required by the user, and the signposting of the sequence of steps necessary to carry out each service correctly, denominated as a route. The empirical study carried out has demonstrated that, given two WISs with the same functionality and identical interface styles, users prefer a WIS with routes and a main menu including the beginning of each route, and perceive it to be more easily navigable. In addition, the use of routes in the navigation model improves the navigability of the WIS built from it, particularly for subjects with less experience.

Aspect-oriented adaptation specification in web information systems: a semantics-based approach

By tailoring content access, presentation, and functionality to the user's location, device, personal preferences, and needs, Web Information Systems (WISs) have become increasingly user and context-dependent. In order to realize such adaptive behavior, Web engineers are thus faced with an additional challenge: engineering the required adaptation concerns. In this article, we present, in the context of a WIS design method, an adaptation engineering process that is separated from the regular Web design process. Our approach is based on the use of two key elements: (1) aspect-oriented techniques to achieve the separation of (adaptation) concerns; and (2) the exploitation of semantic information and metadata associated with the content, for enhanced expressivity and flexibility. By combining these key elements, we demonstrate a robust, rich, consistent, and flexible way to specify adaptation in WISs.

General Issues on Web Information Systems Development

In recent literature, many authors argue that is new and different. The arguments are, however, both debatable and debated, and often it is neither clear what is meant by Web development, nor what it is supposed to be different from. Often-suggested special characteristics of Web development do not seem special after all. The Web information space is rapidly growing in the size and the diversity of both its data and its audience. A consequence is that Web Information Systems (WIS) in many applications replace existing traditional (not Web based) information systems. Since the nature of WIS differs from the nature of traditional information systems there is a strong demand for design methodologies specifically oriented towards WIS design. The complexity of WIS implies the need for an effective design process and a rigorous and systematic design approach.

Integration of Bargaining into E-Business Systems

Despite the fact that bargaining plays an important role in business communications, it is largely neglected in e-business systems. In this paper a conceptual model that integrates bargaining into web-based e-business systems will be developed starting from an informal characterisation of the bargaining process. Bargaining can be formalised as a two-player game, and integrated with the co-design approach for the design of web information systems. In this way bargaining games are played on parameterised story spaces, such that each move of a player adds constraints to the parameters. Each player follows a strategy for making moves, and winning strategies are characterised by highly-ranked agreements.