Differentiating and Defining Portlets and Widgets: A Survey Approach

Widget is not a new computing concept, but it has recently attracted much research interest because of its potential uses in a range of technological products/services. In assuming the challenge to develop an evaluation scheme for widgets/widget-based applications, some conceptual ambiguities about widget, especially its distinction from portlet, need to be clarified first. A survey aiming to collect opinions in this regard was conducted. Qualitative data were analyzed with Cmap (a content map tool) and Nvivo8 (a content analysis tool). Widgets invite more diverse interpretations than portlets, for which specifications have existed for some time. Relationships between these two entities are not consistently understood by respondents. A consensual definition of widget entails more scientific discourses in the future and will have significant implications for developing a robust evaluation framework for widget-based platforms.