The World Wide Web: Evolution and Opportunity 1. Web site evolution - a general framework 2. The web@york Bob Gagné York University Executive Director - Information Technology bgagne@yorku.ca

Web Evolution - a general framework Web Site Evolution Beginning - the mass communication model - transfer experience from print, radio, TV ... Information Creator Audience

Web Evolution - a general framework The web is not like other communication mediums Print/TV/Radio - it’s broadcast so everyone has to see the same thing. Web - every user gets their own copy of the web page. Information Creator

Web Evolution - a general framework The web goes both ways … transactions and transactive content Print/TV/Radio - broadcast Web - users can receive information but they can also send it. Information Creator

Web Evolution - a general framework Users can talk to each other - really a web From information provider to community hub Information/ community hub

Web Evolution - a general framework Some common traps in beginning - Business Model: treating the Web as a marketing brochure and not as a fundamental shift in the way we do business in the network economy. Project management: multiple developers without coordination. Information architecture: structuring the site like the company’s own org chart instead of reflecting the user’s view of the service. Page layout: using heavy graphics (that look good on a large monitor and load quickly on a direct network connection). Content authoring: writers don’t realize the need to cut their copy in half for online readers. Nor do they modularize the text into multiple hypertext nodes. Linking: banning external links in an attempt to imprison the user on your own site Jakob Neilsen - Author on Web Site Usability

The WWW Opportunity Focusing on the Audience, Customers, Services - “Customer Orientation” driven by utility - Why do they visit? What do they want to do? ultimately “the audience of one”. what do we do for “customers”? how could we do it on the web and make it better? Constraints of time and place vanish. Beyond services to experiences.

The WWW Opportunity The Future web@york Lessons from the internet industry - portals and “home bases” Portals - Yahoo, Excite, Go.com, Lycos, Canada.com pass you through to other destinations based on searching and web directories you go there to go somewhere else... Home Bases - My Netcenter, My Yahoo, PlanetAll where you keep your “stuff” start and return here between forays lots of services, deep personalization

www.snap.com

www.amazon.com

my.netcenter.com

Northwestern Portal

Northwestern Home

The WWW Opportunity The Future web@york - The “web campus” home base for students, staff, faculty, alumni. Personalized integrated services and features on line learning, email, schedules, applications, personal sites. parking stickers, bill payment, registration how can we do what we do on the web and make it better? Need an architecture and attention to usability and accessibility. Internet=Intranet+Extranet

my.ucla.edu

www.mybytes.com

ecollege.com

Villanova/Campus Pipeline

The WWW Opportunity The Future web@york - Need for new approach - too big to do by ourselves. Leverage tools - publishing, authoring, application development. A web platform with personalization and utilities built in. Partnership opportunities abound. E-commerce potential. Coordinated approach

www.yorku.ca …first steps