Web Application Quality Metrics

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alex.barylski
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Location: Winnipeg

Web Application Quality Metrics

Post by alex.barylski »

What are some metrics you use to judge an web application for quality?

I'm hoping for usability and accessibility:

- XHTML/CSS validation
- Complete usability with JS disabled
- Complete usability with CSS disabled

Those are the easy ones because they have been documented over and over again...but I'd like to hear other metrics professionals might use to verify software, strictly in usability and accessibility, not source code form, such as unit tests, etc.

Assume you are testing SaaS and source is not available and "nice" design is subjective -- what are some concrete things you can look for?

- i18N
- Form state preservation (postback or session)
- Forward versus redirect (not sure if this is detectable via browser?)
- Is jQuery or similar library used instead of native browser DOM API

What are some other metrics one might use to determine the overall quality of an application?
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ghurtado
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Re: Web Application Quality Metrics

Post by ghurtado »

- Does it save the user from making dumb mistakes? (like accidentally resending a post when using the refresh button, or losing entered text when navigating away from a page...)
- Does it use well established paradigms of web user interfaces, or break them intentionally? (such as standard scrollbars vs js generated ones, using radio buttons for single answer questions...)
- Does it apply the principle of least surprise?
- Does the interface behave in a consistent and predictable manner?
- Does it use POST for actions that change the data and GET for those that do not? (this simple one must not be very good common sense, because I have seen it broken a LOT)
- Does it use ancillary technologies where appropriate *only* and without abusing them? (AJAX, Flash...)
- Does it work well across a range of browsers and user configurations? (like low end workstations, modem users)
- Is it searchable? (by search engines external or internal)
- Is it maintainable?

Is this what you were looking for?

Also, can you elaborate on your jQuery point? Which is a better application in your opinion, one that uses jQuery or one that uses the DOM API?
alex.barylski
DevNet Evangelist
Posts: 6267
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:00 pm
Location: Winnipeg

Re: Web Application Quality Metrics

Post by alex.barylski »

That was what I was looking for yup...the first point was a good one...
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ghurtado
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Re: Web Application Quality Metrics

Post by ghurtado »

Sorry to bump, but I think it was a very good idea to start this thread and I would definitely like to hear what other developers look at to measure the quality of a web application.
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