Chapter 8 Designing Web Sites

2 OBJECTIVES Introduce Site Design – part of a life cycle Recall Steps in Application Development Life Cycle Remember the Life Cycle of Site Building Remember design criteria

3 Introduce Site Design What is Site Design? Plan and design to build a Web site Site design belongs to the life cycle of developing a Web site. Why? What is the big picture?

4 LIFE CYCLE OF APP DEV Web Site is a Computer Application Developing Computer Apps Has a Cycle –Requirements –Functional/technical Design –Building/Execution –Testing –Release

5 LIFE CYCLE OF SITE BUILDING Plan the Site (requirements, define audience) Design (functional/technical) Execution (building and testing internally) Release (make available to public)

6 PLAN THE SITE Why – Specifically, Define the Site’s Goals –Determine Who Will Be Involved –Understand the Time and Need Constraints What - Ask Questions Deciding on Site’s Mission and Purpose for the Organization Who - Resource allocation How - Process and detailed planning

7 DEFINE AUDIENCE Output: Customized peer review form for your presentation Need Analysis – customer expectations Generate a List of Intended Audience Identify What Prospective Customers Want

8 COMPETITVE ANALYSIS The winner is … How to make a better site? Better as opposed to competitors Make a List of Competitors Evaluate Criteria: –Personalization –Consistency –Ease of Navigation

9 DESIGN TIPS Keep the Site Simple Enhance Response Time Focus on Content Ensure Company’s Name Visible Emphasize on Appearance Allow Easy Return to Homepage

10 SITE DESIGN AND EVALUATION CRITERIA (ACSS) Appearance Consistency Scalability Security

11 APPEARANCE Is the Site Aesthetically Pleasing? Obtain Help from Professional Tools: –Dreamweaver - FrontPage –Photoshop - image –Flash - animation

12 CONSISTENCY Branding principle – build one image Use a Style Guide –Ensure consistency within the site Will the Web site and Contents Appear the Same on Visitors’ Screens? Usage of HTML Provide Handling for the Choice of Browsers

13 SCALABILITY Can you handle more? Simultaneous Scalable Access Does the Site Provide a Seamless Growth Path? Capable of Being Expanded

14 SECURITY Threats: ID Theft, Privacy Protect from Hackers Critical – Web site Access Depend on the Knowledge of Developers

15 Summary and Exercises What is site design? What is the life cycle of application development What is the life cycle of site building? What are the design criteria? How to define the audience of a site?