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Architectural patterns regarding web application domain usability
Patrones arquitectónicos sobre usabilidad en el dominio de las aplicaciones web
Keywords:
software architecture, usability, web application, patterns, SME (en)arquitectura de software, usabilidad, aplicación web, patrones, PyMes (es)
Usability is one of the quality characteristics having the greatest impact on final user acceptation in a web application context. However, the relationship between usability and software architecture has not been completely identified and characterised. Some work has found some relationships between usability and architecture but not between architectural patterns. This papers main contribution lies in its identification of architecture patterns and how they have influenced usability within the context of web applications. This study is useful for architects and new product designers regarding the early identification of possible problems and/or advantages (at architectural level), using some of them in a web application. Additionally, architects could identify weaknesses in initial designs thereby increasing final user satisfaction. The study could be useful when a web application is being evaluated, since detecting possible usability problems or weaknesses implies that it should be improved. Consequently, some changes would be made to the application, both in its interfaces and at architectural level. In this case, the problem can be related and the most suitable solution be suggested in terms of patterns. The impact of this works architectural pattern has been validated on two Colombian small- and medium-sized enterprises which have exercised some of the proposed patterns and verified their influence on usability properties.
En el contexto de las aplicaciones web, la usabilidad es una de las características de calidad con gran impacto en la aceptación por parte del usuario final. Sin embargo, la relación entre la usabilidad y la arquitectura del software no ha sido totalmente identificada y caracterizada. Algunos trabajos han encontrado algunas relaciones de la usabilidad con la arquitectura pero no con patrones arquitectónicos. La principal contribución de este artículo es la identificación de los patrones arquitectónicos y en qué medida éstos impactan en las propiedades de usabilidad en el contexto de las aplicaciones web. Este estudio tiene dos utilidades principales: la primera, para los arquitectos y diseñadores de nuevos productos, en la identificación temprana (a nivel de arquitectura) de posibles problemas o ventajas al usar algunos de ellos en una aplicación web; además, los arquitectos podrían identificar debilidades en el diseño inicial, incrementando la satisfacción del usuario final. Y la segunda, cuando una aplicación web está sido evaluada desde el punto de vista de la usabilidad, la detección de posibles problemas o debilidades implica que ésta deba ser mejorada, lo que conlleva a realizar cambios en la aplicación, en las interfaces y a nivel de su arquitectura, en este caso, los patrones permiten relacionar el problema y sugerir la solución más adecuada. El impacto de los patrones arquitectónicos estudiados en este trabajo han sido validados con dos pequeñas y medianas empresas (PyMes) colombianas, las cuales han ejercitado algunos de los patrones propuestos verificando su influencia en las propiedades de la usabilidad.
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References
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Copyright (c) 2010 José Luis Arciniegas Herrera, María Verónica Fernández de Valdenebro, María Amparo Hormiga Juspian, Aleyda Tulande Arroyo, César Alberto Collazos Ordóñez
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