Supporting Web user interface prototyping through information modeling and system architecting

Existing design methods used for developing Web-centric systems are mostly adapted from methods for designing traditional software systems. Web-centric systems however differ from traditional software systems, in terms of both organizational and technical characteristics. Effective design methods for Web-centric systems need to address these characteristics specific to Web-centric systems. This paper proposes a design method for Web-centric systems. The design process comprises three steps: prototyping, information modeling and system architecture design. The method is differentiated from existing design methods in that the design process commences from user interface prototyping. Information modeling activities are further enhanced in this method. To cope with the complexity of Web systems, each design step is partitioned into both structural modeling and behavioral modeling. The design method is illustrated by applying the method to the design of a commercial Web application