Webapp Development: A Case Study in Lessons and Challenges

Select results of a retrospective analysis of a three-year webapp development project targeted at agricultural com-modities marketing are presented. Characteristics of the user base (farmers and grain buyers) and harsh operating environ-ments had significant effects upon usability and design. We summarize, in context, the lessons learned and challenges identi-fied including those related to small form factors, text manage-ment, testing, and development.