The Rapid Application Development

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

-Albert Einstein

CHAPTER III

THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Introduction

This chapter describes and explains the methodology employed in this study. A well laid out and logical methodology will provide a great backbone for the entire research work, and will allow one to build an extremely strong results section. [1] In this study a survey was developed and distributed among the undergraduate students of D.A.S.E.D. The purpose of the study is to know the students’ perspective in some important features and describes the various systems development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies including the waterfall model and rapid application development (RAD). According to Elliott & Strachan & Radford (2004), the SDLC describes the stages involved in an information system development project. Later on in this chapter, the methodologies and techniques applied are discussed.

[1] www.explorable.com

Data collection

The primary data can be collected through personal interviews, telephone, mail and surveys. The research philosophy that is more suitable for my research is Data collection. Data will be collected in order to obtain feedback and gather some required information about the website.

Instrumentation

According to Leedy and Ormrod (2001), "Research is a viable approach to a problem only when there are data to support it" (p.94). Nesbary (2000) defines survey research as "the process of collecting representative sample data from a larger population and using the sample to infer attributes of the population" (p. 10).

The method for collecting data which was chosen is questionnaires. This method has the following features:

Faster, simpler and cheaper

Respondents have adequate time to think through their answers

Respondents who are not easily approachable, can also be reached

Very accurate and less bias

Straightforward

Research questions

QUESTION 1

What is your Gender?

Male

Female

QUESTION 2

What program of study are you currently following?

Fashion Technology

Textile and Fashion Design

Design and Colour Applications

Sustainable Product Design

 

QUESTION 3

How would you rate yourself as an Internet user?

Expert

Good

Beginner

QUESTION 4

Is the implementation of a site for the Department of Applied Sustainability & Enterprise Development important?

Yes

No

QUESTION5

Do you think D.A.S.E.D should have its own logo?

Yes

No

QUESTION6

According to you, which Monochromatic color scheme (color palette) as a background do you think is more suitable for the site?

Black

White

Red

Blue

Yellow

Green

QUESTION 7

How frequently do you visit your student mail?

Daily

Weekly

Infrequently

QUESTION8

How frequently do you visit the student online system?

Daily

Weekly

Infrequently

QUESTION 9

How often do you visit the UOM site for updated info?

Daily

Weekly

Infrequently

QUESTION 10

Do you think a forum has its importance in a web site?

Yes

No

QUESTION 11

Which parts of the web site are most useful to you?

Courses

Gallery

Forum

Contact us

About us

QUESTION 12

Are there additional features or online services you would like us to include on the web site?

No

Yes (please describe)

Faculty Survey

The survey has been distributed among the students of D.A.S.E.D to fill up. The survey consists of dichotomous questions, multiple choices and open-ended questions. The survey has been made as straight forward as possible to avoid unbiased answers. Through the sample, good feedback has been obtained in the following ways:

What they expect from the website

Their choice of colour scheme for the backgrounds

How friendly they are with the internet and computer tools

The web page/s they consider their top priority

What additional features they personally wish to see on the website

Conclusion

The questionnaire has been a useful tool to investigate the user needs, perspectives, expectations, priorities and preferences. During evaluation important data will be uncovered and personal views of students have been revealed. All data will be taken into consideration and as long as possible their needs will be met.

Sample

For this study, a sample of 100 students of only the D.A.S.E.D have been observed, processed and analyzed. The sample consists of all level 1, level 2 and level 3 students of Fashion Technology, Fashion and Design, Design and Colour Applications and Sustainable Product Design. The website is aimed for all students in the department and this explains my choice of sample.

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

Waterfall methodology

Generally speaking the system development lifecycle covers the whole life of a system. The methodology which is most appropriate for this project is the Waterfall model. This methodology has been chosen because it allows to better plan the development of the website and to monitor its progress. Furthermore it allows more control on the Analysis and Development stages. A time schedule can be set with milestones for each stage of the development and a product can proceed through the development process to be delivered on time. This model is as a cycle which will allow the re-consideration of the requirements and the changes that need to be made at each stage of the development.

The life cycle of a development process describes how the process is split into phases and how these are related to each other. It provides a consistent framework of tasks and deliverables needed to develop systems.

The stages in waterfall development model areshown in the diagram below:

Figure 1: Waterfall development model by Winston W. Royce

The advantages of this model are:

It imposes needed discipline on the development process.

Phases are processed and completed one at a time.

It keeps the development process predictable and easy to monitor.

It enforces standards requiring production of certain documents at certain target dates.

It is document driven, that is, documentation is produced at every stage.

The limitations of this model are:

Once an application is in the testing stage, it is very difficult to go back and change something.

High amounts of risk and uncertainty.

Phases of the methodology

Requirement analysis

An examination of the project is made and a feasibility report is produced to decide if it is worth to proceed with it. The different functionalities and limitations are clearly stated. For e.g. the coding for animation on the site can be done but coding for functionalities will not be achieved due to limited knowledge in this sector.

This stage involves a detailed analysis of the requirements, identity resources available, conduct information gathering on background of the textile department, and establish the purpose of the website, and document who is the target audience.

System design

This process describes the desired features and operations in detail, including screen layouts, and other documentation. When this is completed, the design is ready for review, move into testing.

Implementation

Implementation involves putting the tested and approved layout into an operational environment for use by the user. This stage deals in how to launch the website and make it operational. This will include the installation of the necessary components so that application may be usable. If new requirements or requests for change come, the whole cycle is repeated again. If any problems occur, that could have been avoided, they are documented in the requirements or design templates.

Testing

Testing is to ensure that all the functionalities are successfully integrated. This not only makes sure that the website looks good, but also checks its performance and back-end functionally.

Maintenance

This is the last stage of the software development in the waterfall model and it is a never-ending phase. Generally, problems with the website developed come up after its practical use. In the beginning, not all the problems come directly but they arise from time to time and need to be solved. In addition this step occurs after developing the website, and involves making modifications, changes or further enhancements to the system to improve its effectiveness.

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

The Rapid Application Development (RAD) is another methodology will be used for the Maquette construction. The reason why this methodology is being incorporated in the project is that:

A prototype of the Maquette can be done

Early feedback is given at every interval to see whether it matches its specifications or not

Modifications can be done accordingly to achieve the aims and objectives of the project

Whether the deadlines can be easily met or not?

The process of prototyping involves the following steps:

Planning

Identify basic requirements

Develop Initial web Prototype

The initial prototype includes only user interfaces

Review The supervisor will examine the prototype and provide feedback on additions or changes.

Revise and Enhance the Prototype

Using the feedback both the specifications and the prototype can be improved. Changes can be made accordingly.

Summary

The purpose of this chapter is to describe the research methodology of this study, explain the sample selection, and describe the procedure used in designing the instrument for collecting the data. Furthermore The SDLC and RAD are the two most suitable methodologies for the whole design development of the website. Furthermore the different methodologies like the SDLC and RAD has been applied for the whole development design cycle of the website.