Over time, a number of well defined categories of web solutions have emerged that combine hypertext systems and web applications into particular categories of solutions. Knowing there are patterns for these solutions can help make decisions for solutions that you may be asked to implement. It's about not re-inventing the wheel. If the website you are working on falls into one of the categories defined below, you can leverage an existing approach and reduce the risk in your project.
The categories below are based on a presentation from G. Kappel, "Web Engineering: Old Wine New Bottles" ICWE, 2004, Munich.
This is good example of a content-focused web application. The content of a website is dynamically generated in response to a user request. Form-based input, e.g. Search forms, is the primary mechanism for communication between client and server.
Examples:
Product databases
Public transport schedules
Search engines
A transactional solution contains complex user interactions with many levels. Interactions often result in database queries and transactions. Well defined business logic is required and implemented strictly.
Examples:
Online banking
e-Shopping
Reservation systems
Workflow-based solutions are similar to transaction sites but are based on existing business processes and provide a more complex service to the user. They can be internal, business to business, or business to consumer. A prerequisite for a workflow system is an established business process.
Examples:
e-Government
Patient workflows in health care systems
Multi-level approval systems
These are solutions that unstructured and adaptive. Their focus is to support communication, e.g. groupware. They support shared information and workspaces. They assist people to work together through sharing information.
Examples:
Wiki
Forums & chatrooms
e-Learning platforms
This is access to information via the Web or web-based systems. It is similar to a hypertext system but is more dynamic in that information can be presented in different ways on different pages. These solutions support knowledge management and derivation of new knowledge via re-use.
Examples:
Enterprise portals
Intranets
Extranets