Industrial acceptability of Web design methods: an empirical study

In this work we present the results of a study that has aimed at identifying the requirements for Web design methods that may influence the industrial acceptability, that is, the characteristics that prevent, or contribute to, the adoption of design methods in a business environment. The empirical study involved (by way of focus groups and surveys), over 100 potential users of Web design methods including project managers, analysts, information architects, visual designers, implementers, recruited from companies and non academic institutions intensively involved in the development of Web based applications. Our study has gathered qualitative and quantitative information that highlight expectations and needs of stakeholders of Web design methods. It has highlighted that usability, modularity, scalability, customizability, support to fast prototyping and incremental development, support to design-related activities (training, project management, design documentation delivery) are critical requirements for a design method to be adopted in the industrial practice. To define our study, we have adopted a holistic perspective. We have investigated requirements looking at design methods as to engineering products that should work within the overall development process in which design occurs, and within the organizational context in which this process takes place.