Just enough software.
With a Web-based application, a user only uses what he or she needs. That's obvious. What we sometimes forget is that most of us carry around bloated applications that are using up space in our hard drives with features we never use. Instead of "just enough" we have "more than enough" software installed and hogging precious space when we use applications that traditional way.

Rapid deployment.
Deploying an application across the enterprise is potentially as fast as putting up a Web server and then issuing an e-mail with the URL and log-in instructions. Log in, identify yourself, set up the information fields required of a first-time user, and you're ready to go. Compare that to deploying software the traditional way by loading it on each user's machine.

Rapid updates.
Every time you log in, you will be working on the most current version of the Web-based application. And if there are controls, templates, or other components you need locally, the application can recognize whether your version is the most recent and automatically update each user's local configuration. Nobody ends up running an application version that's a couple of generations behind.

Consistency.
Putting an application on the Web enforces a level of consistency within an organization. Everyone has the same data, the same views, the same functionality.

Minimal training.
Well-designed Web-based applications require very little training. The training that is needed often can be delivered over the Web, either as an inherent part of the application itself or through Webinars.

Well, there you have it: lots of good reasons to expect Web-based applications to become increasingly common in business and organizational settings.

But merely putting something on the Web doesn't make it usable. To be truly usable, the application must meet key criteria from the user's perspective:

Effectiveness.
The application does the job it's supposed to do, does it well, and does it with a minimum of wait time. My initial experience with the car rental Web site was pretty unsatisfactory because it crashed. Even a system that doesn't crash, but that still fails to give the user what he or she needs, will not produce high satisfaction scores.

Visual appeal.
The application is attractively and logically designed so that the user can figure out how to use it with a minimum of effort.

Availability.
The Web site is up and running when the user needs it and the application is up to date. This is a content maintenance issue. Somebody has to own the application and keep it current and accessible.

Usability.
Ease of use is tied in to the previous three criteria. A non-intuitive interface, an illogical data structure, or a lack of navigation cues can destroy the usability of a Web application. Imagine going through six or seven screens to book a car rental on line. Most of us get irritated after just two or three screens where we have to enter data.

The other usability factor is response time. A system that works well on a T1 line or a DSL connection may choke when you try to access it via a 28.8 modem in a hotel room. We recently redesigned our Web-based eRFPMaster to increase the speed over 300%. It was already the fastest system available, according to independent tests, but we knew that speeds that are acceptable on a desktop or a LAN won't work on the Web.

Many of the technical issues involved with Web-based applications will disappear with time. But the "ergonomic" issues of intelligent design will never disappear. They depend on smart people understanding the customer's or user's needs and developing an application that meets them.