UFIEP6-20-3: Internet Application Development

The internet application in its organisational and social context; types of internet applications, their user bases and dominant metaphor; the differing needs of business, government, collaborative and social systems; the internet application as an extended human/computer activity system; alignment of development approach and technology to the user and client needs.

Development and project management processes for web site development: requirements driven versus agile methods; user involvement; specialist skill and the management of a project team; user involvement; use cases and user stories.

Choice of technical platform for an internet-based application: Enterprise-level systems such as Microsoft's .Net and Sun's J2EE; the LAMP approach with PHP and MySQL and the open source movement; customisable environments such as Content Management Systems; the role of IDEs and CASE in web development.

Choice of systems architecture: layered architectures; service-oriented architecture with SOAP and REST; design issues in systems architecture such as allocation of functionality to layers; multimedia and multi-modal integration; XML-based architectures;

Web site setup: researching and choosing a hosting service; domains and the domain registration process; backup and security of the site; server demand prediction and scaling; site testing; site positioning and search engine optimisation; site activity monitoring and analysis; payment schemes; revenue generation

Choices in interface design, navigational design and the dominant site metaphor; patterns in internet site design; advances in interface design - DHTML, DOM and AJAX.

Application evaluation and on-going site evolution.

Careers and career development in the internet world; on-going professional development.

Students on this module are expected to be undertaking practical internet application development so this module aims to provide the theoretical background to enable the student to make informed choices in a confusing world of existing and emerging technologies and designs. Teaching will use case-studies and design exercises to explore the design space. Independent and group study will be supported by lectures and tutorials.

Bates, C (2002). Web Programming: Building Internet Applications, Wiley [ISBN: 0470843713 ]

Burdman, J. (1999). Collaborative Web Development: Strategies and Best Practices for Web Team, Addison-Wesley [ISBN: 0201433311 ]

Cockburn, A (2001). Agile Software Development: Software Through People, Addison-Wesley [ISBN: 0201699699 ]

Crane, D (2005). Ajax in action, Manning [ISBN: 1932394613 ]

Fletcher, P. et al (2002). Web Traffic Analysis: Standards, Privacy, Techniques and Results, glasshaus [ISBN: 1904151183 ]

Gerlis, Howard (2003). A Business Managers' Guide to Web Site Hosting, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales [ISBN: 1841521620 ]

Kaye, Doug (2001). Strategies for Web Hosting and Managed Services, John Wiley & Sons Inc [ISBN: 0471085782 ]

Puetz, Christoph. (2004). Web Hosting Manual - How To Start Your Own Web Hosting Business, Press Incorporated [ISBN: 411608542 ]

Shelford, T.J. and Remillard, G.A. (2002). Web Project Management: Case Studies and Best Practices from the Trenches, Addison-Wesley [ISBN: 1558606785 ]

Sterne, Jim (2002). Web Metrics: Proven Methods for Measuring Web Site Success, John Wiley and Sons Inc [ISBN: 0471220728 ]

Strauss, R. and Hogan, P. (2001). Developing Effective Websites: A Project Manager's Guide, Focal Press [ISBN: 0240804430 ]

Van Duyne, D.K., Landay, J. and Hong, J.I. (2002). The Design of Sites: Principles, Processes and Patterns for Crafting a Customer-centered Web Experience, Addison-Wesley [ISBN: 020172149X ]