A performance-oriented interface design model of web applications

Web-based applications are task-oriented software that is accessed through a web browser and connected to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for data communication. Nowadays, web-based applications have become much more complex as their operations are beyond simple browsing of information. The applications include not only HyperText Markup Language (HTML) files but also other components such as images and objects on their interfaces. Although these components are necessary to make the applications functional and presentable to users, they are resource-intensive where their sizes are normally huge. This leads to the increase in the application turns and traffic size, which subsequently affect the network, servers and databases. As a result, the applications experience poor performance that eventually degrades users´ satisfaction and confidence towards them. This paper discusses the factors that influence the performance of web applications with regard to interface design. The factors were identified through Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of related previous studies. The collated factors form a conceptual model of performance-oriented interface design for web applications, which considers the influence of components and display structure towards reaction time. The model contains not only the contributing factors but also their specific characteristics and dimensions. The model can act as a guideline for improving existing web applications where it provides bases for effective utilisation of resources in interface design.