SAP Web Glossary H-P

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Version 1.0., 03/18/2003

The following glossary lists and explains general Web terms as well as SAP Web terms. The information was taken from several sources and adapted to the needs of this glossary. Among the sources are: www.whatis.com, the book authored by Larry Constantine and Lucy Lockwood "Software for use: a practical guide to models and methods of usage-centered design", the book authored by JoAnn Hackos and Janice Reddish "User and Task Analysis for Interface Design", information contained in articles and guidelines in the SAP Design Guild, own contributions (a.o. photos and graphics).

In this version, some ISO definitions have been added.

Note: There is some overlap with the SAP Usability Glossary. See there for topics more related to usability in general.

Hallway

Term used for Web pages which mainly consist of links and little or none information content.

High Fidelity Prototype

Prototype which captures already much of the look and feel of the final Website; it often includes essential parts of the information content and functionality and can nearly be handled like the real Website. The degree to which look and content are implemented depends, of course, on the purpose of the prototype (presentation, discussion, user test).

Home Page

The starting page of a Website. Typically this page gives an introduction to the Website and serves as index or overview of the Website. Sometimes, however, the first page is only a banner or introduction page which leads to the overview page.

A home page typically has a predefined name like index.htm, index.html, home.htm, or home.html.

HTML

See Hypertext Markup Language.

HTML Business

Macro language developed and used by SAP for implementing Web pages (so-called templates). The HTML Business language contains constructs like loops, decision statements, and variables, and thus allows the creation of dynamic Web pages. It also supports the use of libraries, which ease the creation of templates.

HTML Business Library

Library based on HTML Business used for implementing standard elements in Web pages, like buttons, tables, tabstrips etc.

SAP GUI for HTML and template-based IACs (including flow logic) use similar versions of the HTML Business Library, thus ensuring a consistent look and feel irrespective of the platform and technology used.

For more information, see Resources -> SAP Business HTML Cookbook in the SAP Design Guild.

HTML Page

See Page.

HTML Prototype

Prototype based on HTML pages. HTML prototypes may be very simple, for example consist of pages containing screen shots with links for simulating navigational aspects of a Website (Low fidelity prototypes).

Figure: Demonstrating navigation using HTML prototypes

HTML prototypes can be used to explore dynamics of Websites like navigation; this prototype already includes graphical elements, thus providing a preview of the look of the final Website.

High fidelity prototypes can also be realized using HTML, especially when the possibilities of DHTML (e.g. JavaScript) are exploited.

HTTP

See Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

Hypertext Link Hyperlink

See Link.

Hypertext Markup Language, HTML

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) defines a set of markup symbols or codes inserted in a file intended for display on a Web page. The markup tells the Web browser how to display a Web page's words and images for the user. Each individual markup code is referred to as an element or tag.

HTML is a formal recommendation by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and is generally adhered to by the major browsers, Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator, which also provide some additional nonstandard codes. The current version of HTML is HTML 4.0. However, both Internet Explorer and Netscape implement some features differently and provide nonstandard extensions. Web developers using the more advanced features of HTML 4 may have to design pages for both browsers and send out the appropriate version to a user. Significant features in HTML 4 are sometimes described in general as Dynamic HTML (DHTML). (Adapted from www.whatis.com)

Hypertext Transfer Protocol, HTTP

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the set of rules for exchanging files (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the World Wide Web. Relative to the TCP/IP suite of protocols (which are the basis for information exchange on the Internet), HTTP is an application protocol. The latest version of HTTP is HTTP 1.1. (Adapted from www.whatis.com)

Information Architecture

Information architecture involves the design of organization and navigation systems to help people find and manage information more successfully (From Lous Rosenfeld, Argus Associates).

The term Information architecture is typically used within the context of Website design.

Information Design

Information design is concerned with the structure and presentation of information, be it textual, graphical or an animation. Traditionally, these are on-screen instructions, help, and documentation. But today, information design means much more, as content plays an increasingly important role, especially for the design of Websites and Web applications.

Interaction Design

That part of application design which deals with the interaction between users and the system. Interaction design can be dealt with on a more abstract level, like the structure of the dialog between users and the system. It can also be dealt with on a more concrete level, like selecting controls and arranging them on a screen or page. The visual design aspects, e.g. the graphic design, is typically not handled by interaction designers, but by visual or graphical designers (see Graphic Design, Visual Design). Issues like on-screen instructions, help, and documentation are handled by information designers and documentation writers (see Information Design).

Internet ("the Net")

A worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers). It was conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969 and was first known as the ARPA Network. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of a research computer at one university to be able to "talk to" research computers at other universities.

Today, the Internet is a public, cooperative, and self-sustaining facility accessible to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Physically, the Internet uses a portion of the total resources of the currently existing public telecommunication networks. Technically, what distinguishes the Internet is its use of a set of protocols called TCP/IP (for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Two recent adaptations of Internet technology, the Intranet and the Extranet, also make use of the TCP/IP protocol. (Adapted from www.whatis.com)

See also World Wide Web (WWW), World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

For more information see SAP Interaction Design Guide for Internet Application Components and The Web - A Short Introduction in the SAP Design Guild.

Internet Application Component (IAC)

Sap's Web applications. These are typically simple applications, well suited to beginners and casual users. Examples of SAP Web applications are self-service applications used by employees to, for example, apply for holidays or to search for address data. Other SAP IACs are Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) applications.

Figure: Example of an Internet application component (IAC) following the current SAP Web design

For more information and guidelines see SAP Interaction Design Guide for Internet Application Components in the SAP Design Guild.

Internet Transaction Server (ITS)

Core component of SAP's Internet technology for Web applications. The ITS serves as a gateway between the application server, running R/3-based Web applications, and the browser, which serves as presentation server on the users' side.

The ITS can handle several cases:

1. Present R/3 applications in a browser: This approach is based on SAPGUI for HTML. The ITS creates "on the fly" HTML pages from a dynpro definition (using a special version of the HTML Business Library) and sends them to the browser for display.
2. Present IACs based on templates: In this case, there are static templates written in HTML and HTML Business containing references to a dynpro which is used by an R/3-based Web application. The ITS converts the templates into pure HTML, fills in the respective dynpro data and sends the HTML to the browser.
3. Present IACs based on flow logic: Similar to case 2, but there is no dynpro behind the template; thus the date have to be fed into the HTML page differently (e.g. by remote function call, RFC).

The ITS also handles the transfer of the user data back to the R/3 backend application (the backend application need not be R/3-based in the case of flow logic).

Thus, in short the ITS mimics a presentation server for the R/3 backend application and handles the processing of the user data for the browser page by communicating with the R/3 backend application.

The ITS supports different languages and themes (e.g. different looks).

Intranet

An Intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise, based on Internet technology. Typically, an Intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. The main purpose of an Intranet is to share company information and computing resources among employees. An Intranet can also be used to facilitate working in groups and for teleconferences. (From www.whatis.com)

See also Extranet, World Wide Web (WWW).

iView

iViews are small applications that populate a page in the SAP portal environment. They are tailored to the needs of the user and its role and provide essential information and basic functionality.

Users may personalize portal pages and select the iViews they need for doing their jobs.

Figure: An alert iView

For more information and guidelines see the SAP iView Guidelines in the Resources section of the SAP Design Guild.

JavaScript, JScript

JavaScript is an interpreted programming or script language from Netscape (JScript is Microsoft's version on this language), based on a syntax similar to C. In general, script languages are easier and faster to code in than the more structured compiler languages such as C and C++. Script languages generally take longer to process than compiled languages, but are very useful for shorter programs.

JavaScript is used in Website development to do such things as:

• Automatically change a formatted date on a Web page
• Cause a linked-to page to appear in a popup window
• Cause text or a graphic image to change during a mouse rollover

JavaScript uses some of the same ideas found in Java, the compiled object-oriented programming language derived from C++. JavaScript code can be imbedded in HTML pages and interpreted by the Web browser (or client). JavaScript can also be run at the server as in Microsoft's Active Server Pages (Active Server Page) before the page is sent to the requester. Both Microsoft and Netscape browsers support JavaScript, but sometimes in slightly different ways. (Adapted from www.whatis.com)

Link

The Web does not offer typed links. However, it would be possible to offer users a choice of link types, such as: a definition of the object, an example of it, a picture of it, a smaller or larger picture of it, and so forth.

Links have a unique addressing scheme defined through Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). (Adapted from www.whatis.com)

Low Fidelity Prototype

Prototype which captures only the conceptual aspects of a Website. This is typically a paper prototype, less often a prototype based on HTML or presentation software (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint^(TM)).

Figure: A low fidelity prototype in the form of a paper prototype.

Owner

The company, institution, or person who owns and - usually - maintains a Website. Also named customer (from the perspective of the design team).

Page

Basic structural element of a Website. A page (Web page, HTML page) is a file notated with the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Usually, it contains text and specifications about where image or other multimedia files are to be placed when the page is displayed. You can think of a Website as a book (albeit a hypertext kind of book rather than a sequentially arranged kind of book) that arrives a page at a time as you request each one. Each page is an individual HTML file with its own Web address (Uniform Resource Locator). The first page you usually request at a site is known as the home page. (Most home pages have a default name that doesn't have to be specified; you only need to enter the domain name for the site itself.) With frames, multiple pages (HTML files) can be downloaded to a browser and presented on designated sections of the display screen at the same time. (From www.whatis.com)

Paper Prototype (Paper Mockup)

A user interface design showing layout and organization on paper (Constantine & Lockwood). This method has been promoted, among others, by Jared Spool and Karen Holtzblatt/Hugh Beyer.

Figure: Example of a paper prototype

Creating paper prototypes is a team effort; here the team is split into three groups that create alternative prototypes

Having finished the prototypes, a member of each group presents the group's prototype to the team; then the pros and cons of each prototype are evaluated

Persona

Unique element of Goal-Directed® design (Alan Cooper): An archetypal user who embodies the goals of relevant users of a software, e.g. a Website.

Using the information of a prior investigation (site visit) the design team creates personas. A persona is an archetypal user of the product, based on the design team's investigation work. The team creates a cast of personas for each project. Each persona gets a biography, job description, photograph, and, most important, a list of goals. These goals are what drives the persona to succeed; if the goals are not met, the persona will not be happy. Each persona with unique needs is designated as a primary persona, and typically gets her own interface, which will be designed to meet her unique goals.

By designing for a specific person the team tries to avoid the pitfall of the elastic user. The elastic user is a conglomeration of all possible types of users that is - according to Cooper - impossible to design for successfully.

Portal

Portal is a new term, generally synonymous with gateway, for a Website that is or proposes to be a major starting site for users when they get connected to the Web or that users tend to visit as an anchor site. There are general portals and specialized or niche portals. Some major general portals include Yahoo, Excite, Netscape, Lycos, CNET, Microsoft Network, and America Online's AOL.com. Examples of niche portals include Garden.com (for gardeners), Fool.com (for investors), and SearchNT.com (for Windows NT administrators).

A number of large access providers offer portals to the Web for their own users. Most portals have adopted the Yahoo style of content categories with a text-intensive, faster loading page that visitors will find easy to use and to return to. Companies with portal sites have attracted much stock market investor interest because portals are viewed as able to command large audiences and numbers of advertising viewers.

Typical services offered by portal sites include a directory of Websites, a facility to search for other sites, news, weather information, e-mail, stock quotes, phone and map information, and sometimes a community forum. Excite is among the first portals to offer users the ability to create a site that is personalized for individual interests. (From www.whatis.com)

The mySAP Enterprise Portal is SAP's offering in the portal arena. See the company Website for more information on this product.

See the third edition in the Editions section of the SAP Design Guild for a more thorough discussion of portals.

Prototype

Prototypes can be a valuable tool for designing Websites. They can help to evaluate design alternatives at any stage of the development process. During the conceptual phase the basic design elements can be explored and tested with users (low fidelity prototypes). When designing the actual screens the layout and more detailed interaction issues can be evaluated and tested. Later "high-fidelity" mockups can be used to provide a "preview" of the final Website.

For more information see Resources -> Using Prototypes in the SAP Design Guild.

ISO Definition: Representation of all or part of a product or system that, although limited in some way, can be used for evaluation (Source: ISO 13407 (1999-06-01) ISO/TC 159)

Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping

Method of building mockups that simulate certain aspects of software, typically of its user interface. Prototypes can be created using a variety of methods: paper prototypes, software prototypes based on HTML (see HTML Prototype), presentation programs, or programming languages.

See Prototypes; for more information see Resources -> Using Prototypes in the SAP Design Guild.