Web Architecture

In the same way that traditional architects design and coordinate the construction of buildings, web architects design and coordinate the development of web applications. These computer applications are incredibly complex mixtures of disparate systems that include databases, application servers, backup and security components, networking, etc. The end result is a site that can solve the needs of business: to sell products and services online, and to better serve the needs of the company’s customers.



The principles involved in designing buildings are not very different from those present in the web application design process. These applications must be designed around the needs of the people that will be using them, just as a building must be designed around the needs of its occupants. After all, doorknobs are placed 3 feet from the floor because this is where most people’s hands are. The design of these things is not done arbitrarily. The design of a website’s navigation—or even arcana like the flow of data from forms to databases and back—should be no different.

Web application design, like building design, requires a firm grasp of the technologies involved. In the case of building design, these technologies include the structural properties of materials, the functioning of electrical systems, an understanding of mechanics, plumbing, etc. In the case of web applications, the technologies include the language and structuring of databases, the TCP/IP protocol, the HTML language, and many others. In both cases, it helps to be a generalist. It also helps to be a voracious learner, as the technologies are in constant flux.

One thing, however, remains constant: people must be able to use them. If not, they whither away like so many dilapidated slums. It is the web architect’s role to ensure that this does not happen.

July 3, 2002 | Archived in Information Architecture