Prototyping web applications

Abstract

Design of large WWW sites can be a very complex task if not supported by a suitable theoretical model. A good structural design model, in fact, is able to precisely define the information structures of this kind of multimedia applications and the related navigation patterns. Moreover, through a good design model the designer is able to precisely formulate his/her ideas, discuss them and revise them, without actually starting any implementation. The modeling activity necessarily implies rough initial ideas, revisions, versions, etc. For these reasons a design-supporting environment, allowing the modeler to be effective and precise, is essential. Moreover the site prototyping, starting from the structural design model, is very helpful for at least three reasons: non-expert "readers" can't fully grasp what the designed application is about, unless they can see it. The second reason is mat even expert designer, once the design is pretty mature, may need to visualize the outcome of the design itself, before going to actual implementation. The third reason is that "visual designers" need also to step in their own idea, to develop it and try it. before completing the design process. In this paper we do not discuss design models, which are a research field on its own. The paper discusses, instead, a design/prototyping environment and presents me relevant features of JWeb, a design/prototyping environment being developed as a joint effort from Politecnico di Milano and Università di Lecce, in Italy. © 2000 ACM.