Methodologies for Web Information System Design

1. Methodologies for Web Information System Design Peter Barna p.barna@tue.nl

2. Outline • Traditional IS and WIS • Phases of the design cycle for WIS • Navigation and Adaptation • Methodologies • Conclusion • Questions

3. Work typically with well defined and closed data repository Serve to well known and specific audience Use dedicated SW and HW platforms Work typically with heterogeneous, dynamic and distributed data Serve to diverse and large audience Use web navigation with all its specifics Traditional IS and WIS Traditional IS WIS

4. Typical WIS design cycle • Requirements analysis delivers Requirement spec • Conceptual design delivers Conceptual model • Navigation design delivers Navigation model(s) • Adaptation design delivers Adaptation model • Presentation design delivers Presentation model • Implementationdelivers WIS

5. Navigation • Good navigation structure of an application helps user to find relevant information fast and avoids him to be “lost” in hyperspace • Navigation model: • Abstracts from concrete platform (OS, hypertext protocol) as much as possible • Depends on CM, but is separated (multiple NM possible for one CM)

6. Adaptation • Makes WIS more suitable for individual users • Based on different aspects: • User’s platform; since it does not change during browsing the adaptation is static (adaptability) • User’s preferences; since this also usually does not change during the adaptation is static • User’s behaviour; since it includes also browsing, the adaptation is dynamic (adaptivity)

7. Methodologies: Example Conceptual model of the example in RDFS notation • Example application has 3 views: • Technique • Painting • Painter based on particular concepts

8. RMM: Relationship Management Methodology • Defines process of building of NM only • CM is by default E-R diagram • Slices as navigation objects • Meaningful collections of attributes from different CM concepts • Nested and referenced from each other • No adaptation modelling

9. OOHDM: Object-Oriented Hypermedia Design Methodology • O-O approach based on OMT notation • NM consists of: • Navigation Class Schema • Navigation Context Schema • Adaptation can be modelled, but is not directly supported

10. UWE: UML Based Web Engineering Methodology • O-O approach based on UML notation • NM consists of: • Navigation Space Model • Navigation Structure Model • Adaptation model is described in Munich Reference Model (AHAM-like UWE extension)

11. WebML: Web Modeling Language • Oriented towards design patterns re-use • Specifies: • Structure model • Derivation model • Hypertext model • Composition model • Navigation model • Adaptation modelling can use User and Group entities pre-defined in structure model

12. Hera • Model-driven methodology defines: • Process of model specification (integration, navigation, adaptation, and presentation) using terms from predefined ontologies • Framework of WIS generating presentations on user request and process of data transformation (using designed models)

13. Hera • Navigation specification is RMM-like, it uses the slice concept • Adaptation in Hera: • Static (adaptability): based on platform profile and user’s preferences. The appearance of slices is decided during presentation generation • Dynamic (adaptivity): based on overview of concepts/slices visited by user during browsing. Hera uses the AHAM reference model.

14. Conclusion • O-O methodologies facilitate specification of WIS with possible rich functionality, but the functionality specification is usually vague (the implementation of methods is left to programmers). • Many methodologies allow adaptation modeling in some ways, but just few really support it sufficiently. • Hera: allows automated presentation generation, supports adaptation modeling. • Future Hera research: extend it with techniques that would facilitate generation of presentations with functionality richer than only links following.

15. Thank youfor your attention…

16. Questions…