AriadneTool: A Design Toolkit for Hypermedia Applications

Authors

  • Susana Montero Laboratorio DEI. Dpto. de Informática, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  • Paloma Diaz Laboratorio DEI. Dpto. de Informática, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  • Juan Manuel Dodero Laboratorio DEI. Dpto. de Informática, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  • Ignacio Aedo Laboratorio DEI. Dpto. de Informática, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Abstract

The increasing size and complexity of hypermedia and Web applications puts stress on the need for using design models and methods whenever quality, usability, maintainability or reusability are critical. Moreover, to make the tasks of developers and designers more straightforward and effective, such models and methods should be supported by software tools providing explicit guidance during the development process as well as fast-prototyping. The paper introduces a design environment called AriadneTool that assumes the Ariadne Development Method (ADM). ADM proposes a systematic, iterative and user-centered approach to develop hypermedia and Web applications that deals with six design perspectives in an integrated way: navigation, presentation, structure, behavior, processes and access. The AriadneTool toolkit automates the ADM development process, offering interfaces to create the different products of the method. It also incorporates the use of ontologies to facilitate semantic support that allows for checking the consistency of modelling and for improving the users' understanding of the method. Once the designer has created the specifications of the system, the toolkit makes it possible to generate documentation concerning the system design, to validate the different products or to produce HTML, XML, SMIL and RDF implementation templates automatically.

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Published

2006-03-30