Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 More on Web Design Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Implementation and Maintenance

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 More on Web Design

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WHY A WEBSITE? Reach Customers Quickly & Reliably Establish a Presence in Cyberspace Leverage Advertising Costs Reduce Customer Service Cost Promote Public Relations Penetrate International Markets Test-market New Products & Services

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 LIFE CYCLE OF SITE BUILDING Plan the Site Define Audience & Connection Build Site Content Define Site Structure Create Visual Design

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 PLAN THE SITE Define the Site’s Goals –Determine Who Will Be Involved –Understand the Time & Need Constraints Ask Questions Deciding on Site’s Mission & Purpose for the Organization

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DEFINE AUDIENCE & COMEPETITION Generate a List of Intended Audience Identify What Prospective Customers Want

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 HOW CUSTOMERS JUDGE WEBSITES Product Prices Product Representation Product Selection Shipping & Handling Delivery Ordering Privacy Policy Web Navigation

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WEB DESIGN Focus on Speed & Responsiveness Create Scenarios & Test Cases Select a Set of Users for Trial

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 COMPETITVE ANALYSIS Make a List of Competitors Evaluate Criteria: –Personalization –Consistency –Ease of Navigation

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 BUILD SITE CONTENT Create Content Inventory Determine Priority of Each Department Analyze Feasibility of Each Function

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DEFINE SITE STRUCTURE Create Good Site Structure Explore Various Metaphors Define Architectural Blueprints Decide User Navigation

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 VISUAL DESIGN Use Layout Grid –Show icons, buttons, banners, etc. Establish Look & Feel of Site via Page Mock- ups Develop Web Personalization

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WAYS TO BUILD A WEBSITE Storefront Building Service ISP (Web Hosting) Service Do It Yourself

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 STOREFRONT BUILDING SERVICE Offers Customized Online Store –Provide Web Address –Manage Web Traffic –Maintain Store on Web Servers Drawbacks – Lack of Personalization

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 ISP SERVICES Provide E-Commerce Software Offer Well-Versed In-Store building Technology Advantage – Good Customer Support

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DO IT YOURSELF Requires Experience –Security –Web Traffic Management –Responsive Support –Full-Time Web Administration Benefits – Unlimited Upgrades & Customization

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WEB NAVIGATION DESIGN Create User Profiles –Keep Human Factor as Part of the Design Use Scenarios –Help View Navigation Process

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DESIGN TIPS Keep the Site Simple Address the Problem the Website Needs to Solve Enhance Response Time Raise Transmission Speed Focus on Content Ensure Company’s Name Visible Emphasis on Appearance Allow Easy Return to Homepage

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DESIGN CRITERIA Appearance Public Exposure Consistency Scalability Security Performance Navigation & Interactivity

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 APPEARANCE Is the Site Aesthetically Pleasing? Conduct Quality Assurance –Check the readiness of a website –Examine how easy it passes under the stress of a Web production schedule Use a Style Guide –Ensure consistency within the site

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 CONSISTENCY Will the Website & Contents Appear the Same on Visitors’ Screens? Usage of HTML Provide Choice of Browser

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 SECURITY Protect from Hackers Critical – Website Access Knowledge of Developers

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 PERFORMANCE How Long Does It Take for the Page to Appear? Depend on Local Networking, Traffic Volume, Web Connection 45-second Timer

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 NAVIGATION & INTERACTIVITY How a Visitor Gets from One Page to Another Format Icons & Buttons Give out Function Descriptions of Each Icon

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 Website Evaluation & Usability Testing

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 ANATOMY OF A SITE Use of Colors Site Evaluation Criteria Web Personalization

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 USE OF COLORS ColorPsychological Effects RedPower, energy, passion, danger BlueTrust, conservative, security YellowOptimism, hope WhitePurity, precision, innocence BlackSophistication, mystery, elegance

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 SITE EVALUATION CRITERIA Color Type & Shapes of Icons Page Content Service Offered Primary Focus Ancillaries Site Classification

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 SITE EVALUATION CRITERIA (Cont’d) Professionalism Speed Consistency Personalization Security Scalability

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WEB PERSONALIZATION Cookies Collaborative-filtering Software Check Boxes User-based Personalization

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WHAT MAKES A WEBSITE USABLE? SourcesWhat Users Are Seeking Forrester ResearchHigh-quality Content Ease of Use Quick to Download Frequent Site Update Spool’s StudyInformation Kahle’s StudySpecific Information

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 USABILITY TESTING GUIDELINES Decide on a writing style & stick to it Give visitors what they are looking for Show class Keep the big picture in mind for usability Make the site easy to navigate Focus on content before graphics

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 USABILITY TESTING GUIDELINES (Cont’d) Make your text scannable Be careful about flashy marketing language Encourage visitor feedback Test, test & test! Remember: Conciseness, Scanability & Objectivity

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 ROLE OF WEB ADMINISTRATOR Database Server Application Server Web Server Special-purpose Servers for Security Internet Bandwidth Internet Performance Status

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 Internet Network Architecture Backbone e.g. High-Speed Backbone Network operated by MCI Network Access Points (NAPs) e.g. New York (Sprint) Regional Networks e.g. AOL, AT&T Regional ISPs i.e. Local Providers User Level e.g. University / Corporate Networks

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 Internet Service Provider (ISP) An organization providing an entrance ramp to Internet ISPs offer: –Linking consumers & businesses to Internet –Payment system for online purchases –Monitoring & maintaining a customer’s website –Network management & system integration –Backbone access services for other ISPs

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 HOW ISPs WORK Web Site Infrastructure –Standby Electric Power –Redundant ‘Fault-Tolerant’ Servers –Redundant Communications Lines –One or More Firewalls

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 TYPES OF SERVICE PROVIDERS Internet Service Provider Application Service Provider Business Service Provider Wholesale Service Provider

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 TYPES OF WEB HOSTING SERVICES Dial-Up Access Developer’s Hosting Web Hosting Industrial Strength Hosting

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 HOW TO BECOME AN ISP Contract with a regional network providing bandwidth Procure a leased communications line to one of the company’s routers Procure hardware & software to manage Internet communication Set up dial-in lines to connect users Maintain enough manpower to manage ISP traffic & deal with users

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 HOW TO CHOOSE AN ISP Bandwidth Size –E.g. High-speed T1 & T3 lines Connection Availability & Performance –Normal: 5 – 10MB Virtual Hosting Aliases

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 HOW TO CHOOSE AN ISP Stability & Staying Power Local Access Customer Service & Technical Support Reliability Price

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 ISP NEEDS FOR ONLINE MARKETING Register Domain Name Capture & Forward Host the Website Technical & Managerial Support On-the-road Support

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME? Unique Internet address Domain Name System (DNS) translates between IP address & URL

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 CYBER COMMANDMENTS OF WEBSITE DOMAIN NAMES Determine whether proposed domain name infringes any trademarks Determine whether proposed domain name dilutes any famous marks Obtain federal trademark registration of proposed domain name Register proposed domain name with InterNIC Get permission before linking to other websites Watch for expanded top-level domain names & registries

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 PITFALLS FOR USING ISP Overcharging Domain Name Status Backup Contractual Language

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 Implementation and Maintenance

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES Proper testing & readiness of website Reliability of technology Readiness of ISP to load website & handle traffic Security of lines & payment system Customer service staff training Readiness of fulfillment process with vendor’s warehouse Performance check of entire system before actual deployment Assignment of a Web team to monitor, maintain & upgrade the system

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 PROPER TESTING & READINESS OF WEBSITE Response time to inquiries Stress testing Recovery testing Human factor testing Staging testing

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 TEST PLAN Criteria for visitor testing Load website & prepare website procedure Website & system tests Procedure for making necessary corrections

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 TEST PLAN Syntax Errors –Violate rules of language in which website is written Logic Errors –Deviations from a range of acceptability Website Testing vs. Total System Testing Visitor Acceptance Testing

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 QUALITY ASSURANCE Development of controls to ensure a quality website Emphasized in every stage of website development life cycle

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 QUALITY ASSURANCE Correctness Scalability Maintainability Reliability Optimum Performance Alpha Test vs. Beta Test

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 SITE PERFORMANCE ISSUES Merchant Server Applications Server Payment Processor Back-end Databases

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DISASTER PLANNING & RECOVERY Disaster Recovery Plan –Contingency plan for resuming operations when a problem disrupts normal operations –Identifies potential threats, prioritizes website & other applications, and devises safeguard to minimize losses in the event of a disaster

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 GOOD DISASTER RECOVERY PLANNING Assessing website’s vulnerabilities via risk analysis Reducing / preventing technical & operational risks to online environment Developing cost-effective solutions Ensuring alternative Internet access modes Providing disaster recovery procedures Training e-commerce staff in disaster recovery methods

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 RECOVERY PLANNING Backup –Redundancy –Mutual aid with another organization –Uninterruptible power supply In-house vs. Outsource

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 DISASTER/RECOVERY PLAN Appoint a competent team of representatives (ie - Web designer, IT representatives, and customer service staff) Prepare planning Draft a disaster/recovery manual

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 STAFF TRAINING E-learning –Web-based training –Mostly outsourced –Less pressure on IT department –Hard to monitor

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 IMPLEMENTATION MANAGEMENT Project Management –Estimating resource requirements –Scheduling tasks & events –Providing for training and site preparation –Selecting qualified staff & supervising their work –Monitoring project’s program –Documenting –Periodic evaluating –Contingency planning

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES Performance Personnel Integrating front-end commerce site with back- end fulfillment vendors Maintenance & enhancements Post-implementation planning

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS Ensure each staff knows his/her job Sell all participants on importance of working together as a team Plan ahead on how to solve predictable problems Establish a specific procedure for handling routine problems

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES Check for website operational errors, links & contents Web designers use a syntax-checking program to catch errors before the website is fully operational Eliminate all dead links Check fax & orders

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 MAINTENANCE STRATEGIES (Cont’d) Process invoices for items that are readily available Use s for communications with customers, vendors, and employees Upgrade or redesign website

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS Make website attractive Minimize load times Text should be displayed quickly Verify ordering information Encourage customer feedback Maintain & upgrade technology

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS (Cont’d) Ensure a reliable invoicing system Ensure easy to maintain inventory system Monitor & evaluate server reports Watch disk usage Bandwidth consumption

Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D. MIS 281 Spring 2005 MONITORING WEBSITE TRAFFIC Dates & times of the hits Visitor’s login name Visitor’s IP address Visitor’s host Request Name of the host Cookies Number of pageviews