Web Design, 5 th Edition 3 Planning a Successful Website: Part 1

Chapter Objectives  Describe the website development planning process  Complete Step 1: Identify the website’s purpose and target audience  Complete Step 2: Determine the website’s general content  Complete Step 3: Select the website’s structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 12

The Website Development Planning Process Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 13

Step 1: Define the Website’s Purpose and Audience  Website goals  Website objectives  Target audience profile  Target audience wants, needs, and expectations  Website purpose statement Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 14

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  The home page is often the first page a visitor sees  Should include: –Who –What –Why –Where  Search feature Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 15

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Websites often include multiple subsidiary or underlying pages  Should include the same elements as its home page: –Name –Logo –Typeface –Color scheme Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 16

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 17

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Landing pages generally have one of two purposes: –to provide reference and specific information to customers about a product or event –to encourage website visitors to complete a sales transaction or other specific interaction Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 18

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Should include value-added content: –Relevant –Informative –Timely –Accurate –High quality –Usable Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 19

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Text –Remember, visitors typically scan webpage text for information rather than read the text word for word –Guidelines to consider Chunk text for scannability Place explanatory or detailed information on linked underlying pages Keep content to one page where possible to avoid scrolling Use active voice and a friendly tone Remove transitional words and phrases like as stated previously, similarly, and as a result, which might not be relevant for the chunked text Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 110

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Images –Most commonly included content element on webpages –Can familiarize the unknown Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 111

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Audio –Audio can vary in form and intensity –Can persuade, inspire, personalize, motivate, or soothe  Video –Incorporates movement and sound –Extremely large sizes of video Downloadable vs. Streaming media Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 112

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Animation and multimedia –Widely used to attract attention and enliven webpages –Adds interest and appeal to webpages –Overuse of animations can become distracting and annoying –Animated GIF Gives the appearance of moving pictures –Flash animation Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 113

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 114

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Dynamically Generated Content –Served up to your website visitor triggered by a specific event Frequently called up from a database Websites that use databases to generate dynamic content are database-driven websites Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 115

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 116

Step 2: Determine the Website’s General Content  Organizing Website Files –Organize the resulting files in your website –Create folders on your computer’s local hard drive –Regularly create backups Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 117

Step 3: Select the Website’s Structure  Visualize the organization of the website’s pages and linking relationships  Organize the pages by level of detail  Follow the links between pages to make certain visitors can quickly click through the site to find useful information — fewer clicks mean more satisfied site visitors  Detect dead-end pages, which are pages that currently do not fit into the linking arrangement  Rearrange pages and revise linking relationships, and then visualize the changes before you create the website Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 118

Step 3: Select the Website’s Structure  A storyboard is a series of pages originally developed to graphically present scenes for a movie or television program  A flowchart is a diagram that shows steps or processes; flowcharts are another useful way to outline a website’s structures Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 119

Step 3: Select the Website’s Structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 120

Step 3: Select the Website’s Structure  Choose the method that you find most flexible and comfortable Linear / tutorial structure Webbed / random structure Hierarchical structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 121

Linear/Tutorial Structure  Presents information in a specific order –Training website Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 122

Webbed Structure  Arranges information without a specific order Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 123

Hierarchical Structure  Organizes information into categories and subcategories Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 124

Hierarchical Structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 125

Chapter Summary  Describe the website development planning process  Complete Step 1: Identify the website’s purpose and target audience  Complete Step 2: Determine the website’s general content  Complete Step 3: Select the website’s structure Chapter 3: Planning a Successful Website: Part 126

Web Design, 5 th Edition 3 Planning a Successful Website: Part 1