1. The Developer Perspective Michelle Osmond

2. Design – Requirements Gathering Sales & Research projects –Prototypes/Demos User group meetings Usability workshops & questionnaires –With close collaborators: resource-intensive process –Focus on Java Client, not portal Support calls –Bugs –Feature requests

3. Design - implementation Service-oriented approach to implementation –J2EE, EJBs / Java RMI / Web Services Server Configuration DeploymentExecution Task Archive Data/WF Storage Java Client ServletsPortlets Web services Command line Web Portal

4. Main focus on Java client for workflow development, execution and deployment Design – create workflows

5. Provide framework for users to develop and deploy their own workflows to the portal –Users manage their own design and evaluation of portal services Design – deploy workflows

6. Basic portal: –Userspace (file) access –List of services –Dynamically generated page for each service Design – web portal (servlets)

7. Jetspeed (portlet-based) portal: –Users additionally have control over the whole portal site layout –Can integrate own custom tools as portlets Design – web portal (portlets)

8. Technical Strategy Technologies –J2EE (JBoss) server, includes portal on embedded Tomcat (servlets, JSPs, Struts). –Portlets: JSR-168, on Jetspeed 1.6 Portal Functionality: subset of Java Client, for simpler use –Userspace access (files and workflows) –Execution of deployed workflows (services) –Task management Also: –Server administration

9. Development Issues Time / Resources –Portal & its usability not a top priority –Engine and Java Client have the focus –Many developer skills needed: Java RMI, Swing GUIs, Tomcat/J2EE, XML, HTML, CGI, JavaScript, JSP, Servlets, Struts & Tiles, JSR-168, Applets, AJAX… Web design, accessibility, usability, compatibility

10. Development Issues Browser differences –Discourages development of rich interfaces using JavaScript –Plugin support, e.g. SVG Technology limitations –Struts & portlets Portal QA –Difficult to do comprehensively Maintainability/testing of rich JavaScript interfaces

11. Evaluation Java client has the focus –Usability workshops, questionnaires Portal not formally evaluated –Bug reports, feature requests –Users design and evaluate their own portal services

12. Lessons Learnt - Good Deployed services are useful and popular –Easy to parameterise and execute –Easy to update and add functionality Users have complete control over portal services: design, construct workflow, deploy to web Flexible and powerful workflow system Portlets allow portals to be easily customised further –Skinning, layout –New, custom or third-party tools Continually developing new features, driven by user requests

13. Lessons Learnt – Not so good No formal UI design stage or manager –Inconsistent look & feel –UI convenient/intuitive for the developer, not the user –Deployment tool UI in particular (working on this) Awareness of UI problems: existence, importance –“INVALID” bugs, “it’s documented in the manual” Interactivity, rich interfaces –More web renderers for parameter entry –Result visualisation –Service linking

14. Future Plans Better deployment tool GUI More custom, interactive web visualisers for data Service linking & interactivity –More web renderers, e.g. applets & JavaScript, for complex input –Smoother use of multiple services Update technology: –newer versions of JBoss, Tomcat –Look at newer portals: Jetspeed 2, JBoss Portal

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