Abstract
The development of web applications essentially relies on users' demands who expect highly efficacious but cost effective software services. Managing time and cost so as to develop web applications that cater to the users' need is a challenge for developers at present. Moreover, low-cost maintenance can only be achieved by enhancing the durability of the web applications. Identifying characteristics of durability is a complex task because the different experts have different opinions regarding the significance of characteristics that determine durability quotient of the web applications. As established by the best practices undertaken in this context, some experts consider quality to be the most important factor for determining durability. Therefore, the present study enlists multi-criteria decision-based symmetrical technique to address the multi-vector option availability for the apt selection of the characteristics for durability. Furthermore, it has also been identified that a numerical assessment of web applications' durability can affect the service life and low-cost management in web applications. In this context, to achieve high durability and longevity in web applications, this paper attempts to illustrate and perform a numerical evaluation of durability characteristics. By understanding the various characteristics and their significance towards durability, the paper finds that the hesitant fuzzy-based symmetrical technique of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is an effective methodology for evaluating web applications' durability. For evaluating the quality of the results and establishing their sensitivity, the authors have assessed the outcomes on six different projects of the University. Additionally, results assessed and discussed in this paper would be a conclusive reference for the developers in their attempts to develop highly durable and manageable web applications.