RMCASE: COMPUTER-AIDED SUPPORT FOR HYPERMEDIA DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

We present the design of a computer-aided environment, RMCase, to support the design and construction of hypermedia applications. The environment is based upon the Relationship Management methodology. MCase supports hypermedia design and development activities. Support for cognitive design processes is achieved through three fundamental premises that form the foundation of RMCase: (1) fluid feedback loops between the various methodological stages, (2) manipulation of objects at the instance level, and (3) lightweight prototyping . To achieve this, RMCase itself is designed as a hypermedia application, where hypertextual navigation implements feedback loops. Instance objects can be cloned and abstraction/instantiation mechanisms are envisioned to facilitate designers back and forth movements between the abstract and the concrete layers of an application. As a result, RMCase will support bottom-up, top-down and middle-out software development styles.