Existing Web interoperability protocols are, arguably, overly complex as a result of each protocol being designed by a different group, providing a single service, and having its own syntax and vocabulary. Some standards, such as RSS, are popular and are designed with simplicity in mind and include easy to understand documentation, which is a key reason for its high adoption levels. However, the majority of protocols are complex, making them relatively difficult for programmers to understand and implement and thus hampering communication between heterogeneous information systems. This paper proposes a possible new direction for high-level interoperability protocols by focusing on simplicity. The High-level Interoperability Protocol - Common Framework (HIP-CF) was designed and evaluated as a proof of concept that, if interoperability is simplified and it is made easier for programmers to understand and implement protocols, it could lead to having more interoperable systems as well as increased protocol adoption levels. Evaluation showed that this is a reasonable view and that there is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to interoperability protocols.
