From interface mockups to Web application models

Abstract

The process of modeling and implementing Web applications has been successfully improved by the use of Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE) methodologies. However, because of their traditional process models, these methodologies delay the generation of application prototypes until all design aspects (e.g. domain and navigation) are completed. These aspects are crucial for developers but not for customers, who are interested in viewing parts of the application running as early as possible. In this paper we introduce a novel model driven approach that starts from user interface specifications, using mockups to derive concrete presentation implementations - we call it Mockup-Driven Development or just MockupDD. Then, by using lightweight enrichments and applying heuristics over these models, we show how we obtain navigation and content specifications in the context of different MDWE methods. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.