Waiting for the web

The WWW is the most extensive interactive system ever developed. Its primary function is now no longer as a large-scale information resource, but it has become an essential tool in the provision of global commercial, educational and leisure services. The uptake of these services is reliant on the response times matching users' requirements and expectations.In order to evaluate the role of time in WWW interactions, we need to consider HCI aspects of WWW usage and the range of web software technologies. This examination provides a basis for developing WWW performance engineering strategies.How can system designers ensure that WWW resources are configured and managed to meet users needs? There is a considerable body of research and experience in the development and deployment of technologies to optimize performance in web based systems. However, the de-centralized nature of the WWW and the unpredictability of patterns of uptake of services mean that the standard performance engineering methods can never guarantee response times. In this situation, the expectations and behavior of the user become important, not only for the development of effective user interfaces but also for the configuration of system parameters.It is the aim of this mini-track to provide a forum for researchers with an interest in HCI and Web performance engineering to investigate the role that time plays in the usage and functionality of the WWW. We believe that this will prove an exciting opportunity for software technologists, human factor experts and commercial developers to share their expertise.A number of high quality technical papers have been accepted for presentation at the mini-track. These cover topics form the fields of HCI and web systems engineering. In addition, the mini-track co-coordinators have written a short position paper, which provides a distinctive view on performance and the user experience and sets a research agenda within this area.