OJAX: a case study in agile Web 2.0 open source development

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe a case study of the development, features and evaluation of a rich internet application for libraries. It aims to demonstrate best practice in the use of software standards, development processes and evaluation. Design/methodology/approach - Web 2.0, open source design methods and usability testing were used within an agile framework. Findings - The adoption of agile software development methods, coupled with usability testing, would enable the library community to take full advantage of the techniques and principles inherent in Web 2.0 open source software. Research limitations/implications - A major component of the evaluation of QJAX was a series of usability tests. As is the nature of most usability studies, the results are not generalisable. Originality/value - Aspects of agile software development methods, such as usability testing and iterative design, are recognised in the literature as contributing to the usability of library software. However, exploration of the use of a full agile framework plus usability testing to facilitate Web 2.0 open source software is rare in library-related literature.