Hypertext development should benefit from a systematic, structured development, especially in the case of large and complex applications. A structured approach to hypertext development suggests the notion of authoring-in-the-large . Authoring-in-the-large allows the description of overall classes of information elements and navigational structures of complex applications without much concern with implementation details, and in a system-independent manner. The paper presents HDM (Hypertext Design Model), a first step towards defining a general purpose model for authoring-in-the-large. Some of the most innovative features of HDM are: the notion of perspective ; the identification of different categories of links (structural links, application links, and perspective links) with different representational roles; the distinction between hyperbase and access structures ; and the possibility of easily integrating the structure of a hypertext application with its browsing semantics. HDM can be used in different manners: as a modeling device or as an implementation device. As a modeling device, it supports producing high level specifications of existing or to-be-developed applications. As an implementation device, it is the basis for designing tools that directly support application development. One of the central advantages of HDM in the design and practical construction of hypertext applications is that the definition of a significant number of links can be derived automatically from a conceptual-design level description. Examples of usage of HDM are also included.

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Requirements analysis for Web applications still needs to employ effective RE practices to accommodate some distinctive aspects: capturing high-level communication goals, considering several user profiles, defining hypermedia-specific requirements, bridging the gap between requirements and Web design, and reusing requirements for an effective usability evaluation. Techniques should be usable, informal, require little training effort, and show relative advantage to project managers. On the basis of the i * framework, this paper presents a proposal for defining hypermedia requirements (concerning aspects such as content, interaction, navigation, and presentation) for Web applications. The model adopts a goal-driven approach coupled with scenario-based techniques, introduces a hypermedia requirement taxonomy to facilitate Web conceptual design, and paves the way for systematic usability evaluation. Particular attention is paid to the empirical validation of the model based on the perceived quality attributes theory. A case study developed with industrial partners is discussed.

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This paper describes a methodology for the development of WWW applications and a tool environment specifically tailored for the methodology. The methodology and the development environment are based upon models and techniques already used in the hypermedia, information systems, and software engineering fields, adapted and blended in an original mix. The foundation of the proposal is the conceptual design of WWW applications, using HDM-lite, a notation for the specification of structure, navigation, and presentation semantics. The conceptual schema is then translated into a "traditional" database schema, which describes both the organization of the content and the desired navigation and presentation features. The WWW pages can therefore be dynamically generated from the database content, following the navigation requests of the user. A CASE environment, called Autoweb System, offers a set of software tools, which assist the design and the execution of a WWW application, in all its different aspects. Real-life experiences of the use of the methodology and of the Autoweb System in both the industrial and academic context are reported.

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