3 Planning a Successful Web Site Part 1

3 Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 Web Design, 3 rd Edition

Chapter Objectives Ø Describe the Web site development planning process Ø Complete Step 1: Define the site’s purpose Ø Complete Step 2: Identify the site’s target audience Ø Complete Step 3: Determine the site’s general content Ø Complete Step 4: Select the site’s structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 2

The Web Site Development Planning Process Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 3

Step 1: Define the Purpose Ø Decide on a topic for the Web site Ø List the goals of the Web Primary site goal Ø Determine your Secondary objectives goals Ø Purpose statement written explanation of overall goals and specific objectives utilized to achieve goals. objectives More on Web

Step 1: Determine Your Goals Ø Goals – results of Web site in specific time frame – Reflect a realistic time frame Ø Example in Book – retirement planning web site – Investing money for retirement Ø Goals for one year period – Promote online awareness of company – Educate visitors on retirement strategies – Provide tools and methods for retirement investment strategies

Step 1: Determine Your Objectives Ø Goals – methods utilized to accomplish goals – Testimonials from satisfied customers – 20% discount for purchases made in next 30 days Ø Example in Book – retirement planner Objectives – – – Establish credibility of company Provide sound financial advice Make available an analysis tool to determine current assets Provide a method to calculate anticipated retirement needs Determine strategies to achieve retirement goals Develop individualized retirement investment plans

Your Turn! (page 72) Exploring Purpose Statements 1. 2. 3. Visit the Web Design Chapter 3 Online Companion Web page scsite. com/web 3 e/ch 3/ and click Dr. Gourmet, Oakland, and San Jose in the Your Turn links to review thee Web site purpose statements. Write down your visitor expectations for the content and design of each Web site based solely on the information contained in its purpose statement. Do not look at other site pages. Next, review the home page and at least two subsidiary pages at each site. Is each site's purpose statement reflected in the site's content and design? If yes, how? If no, what is missing?

Step 2: Identify the Site’s Target Audience More on Web Ø Define the needs of the audience – Develop a preliminary audience profile Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 8

Step 2: Identify the Audience Ø how old age range Ø What gender Ø Educational backgrounds Ø Careers, income levels, and lifestyles Ø Where do they live

Step 2: Define the Needs of Your Audience Ø What are they expecting to gain from your Web site Ø Need quick facts or in-depth explanations Ø biases Ø Experienced Web users Ø International – Cultural differences, norms, and customs

Step 2: Develop the Audience Profile Ø limited resources and tight time frame – Use audience’s top two or three needs – Continually gather feedback • Fine-tune and add to audience profile

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content More on Web Ø The home page is often the first page a visitor Who? sees answered by company logo and name Ø Should include: – Who Where? answered by links – What – Where Ø Search feature Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 What? Answered by photos and text 12

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Web sites often include multiple subsidiary or underlying pages Ø Should include the same elements as its home page: – Name – Logo – Typeface – Color scheme Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 13

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Links back to home page Logo, company, name typeface, color scheme, and link placement maintain visual identity with the home page Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 14

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content More on Web Ø A splash page uses images, animation, and sound to capture visitors’ attention and draw them into the site Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 15

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Should include value-added content: – Relative – Informative – Timely – Accurate – High quality – Usable Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 16

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Text – Primary component of a Web site – Guidelines to consider • • • Abbreviate text Chunk information for scannability Add hyperlinks to explanatory or detailed information Use active voice / friendly tone Remove transitional words Do not use Web clichés – Use Register online instead of Click here to register

Your Turn! (page 81) Exploring Purpose Statements 1. 2. 3. 4. Review the public domain Q & A and then visit the Web Design Chapter 3 Online Companion Web page scsite. com/web 3 e/ch 3/ and click FTC in the Your Turn links. Locate the Key Publication section on the FTC Identity Theft page and open a copy of a PDF publication on identity theft in your browser; print the publication. (Copy and Paste into Word document the 4 paragraphs of text you repurpose instead of printing as book says) Using the guidelines for repurposing text from print publications, repurpose at least four paragraphs from the printed publication for your own Web site. As an acknowledgement, cite the source of the repurposed text in a line below the text. Submit your repurposed text to your instructor. Be prepared to compare your repurposed text with the original printed publication text in class.

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Images – After text most commonly included content element on Web sites (motivate visitors) – Can personalize and familiarize the unknown Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 19

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Photographs – Can help deliver a message or prompt an action – Select high-quality, relevant pictures

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Audio – Low-bandwidth alternative to video – Vary in both form and intensity – Incorporate audio into a Web site to personalize a message, enhance recall, set a mood, or sell a product or service • Glowing testimonial from satisfied customer • Catchy jingle Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 21

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Video – Video clips incorporate movement and sound – Extremely large sizes of video – Choice for designers is to limit size of downloadable video files or generate streaming • Downloadable Video – downloaded in its entirety before it can be heard or seen • Streaming Video – begins to play as soon as the data begins to stream or transfer Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 22

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Animations – Widely used to attract attention and enliven Web pages – Adds interest and appeal to Web pages – Overuse of animations can become distracting and annoying – Animated GIF • Gives the appearance of moving pictures

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Multimedia – Add action, excitement, and interactivity to your Web site – Viewers are intrigued and entertained by multimedia presentations – Multimedia presentations can be interactive • Users can participate • Helper Applications • Plug-ins – software program allows certain content to function within the currently viewed Web page – Adobe acrobat plug-in needed for PDF files

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 More on Web 25

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Dynamically Generated Content – Served up to your Web site visitor triggered by a specific event • Frequently called up from a database – Active Server Pages – Microsoft ASP. Net – Scripting languages – Open source PHP Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 26

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Visitors to this site can dynamically obtain a variety of information from the university database Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 27

Step 3: Determine the Site’s General Content Ø Plan an organized file system – Separate into logical subfolders • HTML, photographs, audio, and video files • Create subfolder to place original files – Word processing files – Graphics files • These files will later be transformed into Web-usable formats – Regularly create back ups Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 28

Step 4: Select the Site’s Structure Ø Outline your Web Site – serve as a blueprint and define major navigational paths. – Use flowchart, storyboard, sticky notes, index cards, or text outline • Structure information to achieve Web site’s purpose – Choose the method that you find most flexible and comfortable • Linear / tutorial structure • Random structure • Hierarchical structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 29

Linear/Tutorial Structure Ø Presents information in a specific order – Historical or chronological order – Training website Linear/tutorial structure controls user navigation by progressing users through one Web page at a time Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 30

Random Structure Ø Presents information without a specific order Ø Use only for small Web sites random structure allows visitors to navigate pages in any preferred order Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 31

Hierarchical Structure Ø Organizes information into categories and subcategories Ø Best used in organizational / topical Web sites hierarchical structure organizes information into categories and subcategories Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 32

Hierarchical Structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 More on Web 33

Chapter Summary Ø Describe the Web site development planning process Ø Complete Step 1: Define the site’s purpose Ø Complete Step 2: Identify the site’s target audience Ø Complete Step 3: Determine the site’s general content Ø Complete Step 4: Select the site’s structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 34

Case Study # 3 Ø Case Study Page 98 Ø Do steps 1 -2 to produce 1 page paper using Word. Ø See assignment web page for details.

3 Planning a Successful Web Site: Part 1 Web Design, 3 rd Edition