1.1 Objectives

There has to be a specific objective, which can provide measurable, quantifiable feedback. A Website has to have ‘visitors’ to achieve the objective. How these visitors respond will measure its success or not. Success is defined by the number of visits made and returns visits.

To ensure return visitors they can be asked to send an email, fax, or telephone for further information. These services must be published and facilities set up to receive and manage the responses.

Visitors can be asked to complete a guestbook indicating their requirements, opinions, identity and address for a reply.

Certain elements can result in an on-line transaction such as the automatic posting of recruitment papers to an applicant for a job vacancy.

1.2 Identifying Users

There are three main types of web user:

The first time user who is new to the web facilities and has to be attracted to the site by a good marketing and promotion strategy.

The visitor who has used web facilities before and is expecting to be informed and provided with guides through the next steps and sections.

The regular visitor who is more challenging and knows their way around a web site and so needs more new information to keep their interest.

1.3 Steps to Success

Have a purpose

Set some easily achievable goals

Decide content areas to be included

Allocate tasks: maintenance, content and servicing clients

Storyboard the site.

Write the words

Decide on the graphics/photos

HTML the site

Proof-read the site for content and HTML

Upload to ISP or open own server line

Why do you want to visit the Website?

Who in particular are you addressing?

How do you want them to respond?

How will you test for success?

2.1 Site structure

As with any development a Website has to be planned before any programming or design is physically started. The best way is to plan it on paper. As users may have screens of varying age and resolution it is best to use the lower resolution of a 640 x 480 pixel screen.

Pages should be kept short for impact. Each ‘block’ should be set to a ‘page down’ or ‘page up’ scroll size or users may miss sections of text or graphics. Smaller pages are also easier to maintain.

The best design uses a single screen or a small number of medium sized pages. If the viewer is likely to save the pages for printing later, then the text and graphics should be consolidated by removing spaces and using a font type and size that allows a readable text format to be produced on a printer.

Where the information uses several pages, the download times must be tested. If this is found to be too long the information should be restructured into smaller blocks by redesigning the format and content.

The recommended approach is to use the storyboard concept where a page leads naturally to another. Topics should be listed to allow selection of a topic by a user and so avoid the need to plough through pages of text to find a subject. Information must not be buried.

Consideration must be given to how the pages will link with each other. There must also be an indication as to where the user is within the pages with facilities to return to a home page or to go back a page at a time to a previously displayed page. See Appendix A for a schematic of a typical development.

2.2 Navigation

The methodology used to navigate within a Website is the browser. That is, the facility to move from page to page or subject to subject or site to site. There must be clear indicators for moving around the site and between sites.

Where there is a logical connection between pages the text should be linked. The standard indicator for linked text is the blue underline of the address of the text.

Buttons provide the simplest means to select a requirement. They should be limited in their style to provide consistency. There must always be the alternative of text defining this navigation. Combining buttons with text provides the best solution.

Imagemaps provide another method of guiding users through the site. These must be clearly signposted with text directions as an alternative guide. Button-like features can be included in these maps.

It is recommended that a table of contents is shown on the main or ‘home’ page.

Where there are several subjects the use of an alphabetic links index should be considered. This allows a user to navigate directly to a subset of information within the index.

2.3 Route map

A Website page should be considered as a page of a book. The user will scan the page from the top left corner and then down the page in a Z pattern. The eye will travel across headings, links and buttons. Headings and buttons should be in the order of importance to the reader. Readers will skim headings and only read text if it is interesting or the reader has an interest in it.

The site must have a clear identity. If a logo is to be used this should be at the top left-hand corner. If no logo is used, there must be text clearly identifying the site. If the logo is not known universally, a combination of logo and text should be used. This identity should be carried through on each page.

2.4 Typography

To keep a user interested in the site clear communication is essential. The style selected should be simple and information kept brief and snappy. There should be a limit to the number of text styles used and the line length requires close control to avoid running off a screen or introducing untidy split lines and words.

2.5 Graphics

A site can be overdeveloped by the use of multiple images. Only those directly relevant to the information being displayed should be included. A limit must be placed on their size to reduce download and refresh times. Although the images are only downloaded once and then kept in the local cache any excessive delay in displaying the initial image will deter the user. This is highly relevant where the home page is concerned as any delay here will cause the user to move on to another site or give up.

Backgrounds should be kept clear and images used with discretion. These should be small and tiled rather than large.

Images should be kept to less than 30Kb per page. Colours should be limited in range to assist in reducing this size. By using 8 bit images the size can be further reduced.

The formats to be considered are GIF for black and white images and for cartoon colours. JPEG should be used for photos and full colour images. BMP images are larger than JPEG and should be avoided.

If there is a link to a hi-resolution image a warning should be displayed as some users may not be able to display this image or the download time may be excessive causing the user to think the site connection has failed.

To provide a faster download the image location should be set to width and height in the page and text downloaded whilst the image is being generated. This keeps the user’s interest whilst the page completes. The use of LOWSRC images should be considered.

Some users prefer to browse in text mode particularly if their screen resolution is low or the modem link operates at a slow speed so there should be text displayed as an alternative to an image for use with text mode.

2.6 Links

Text should be written as if there were no links between elements of the site. Where there is a link meaningful words must be used to link text.

These links must be tested regularly. Do not use a fancy colour for links but keep to the Web standards.

The Homepage must have comment and feedback links such as an e-mail facility.

2.7 Consistency

There must be consistency across the site. If elements are developed by different agencies, firm rules as to design are essential. This is best attained by the use of a template. By making the site consistent it is easier to use and maintain.

This approach gives the user a comfort factor and appears more professional. It will also give the site a corporate identity especially if the logo is always displayed in the same place on each page.

As stated above the use of buttons and styles should be similar throughout with the same style of headings, type font and alignment.

Where the site has distinct sections the background can be changed to indicate this. It also assists in confirming that the user has found the right section.

The home page should contain the e-mail and URL address of the site owner, the organisation's name, address and phone and fax numbers. There should also be a contact name together with the date the page was created or revised. A statement that the site design and content is subject to copyright laws should also be shown.

3.1 Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML)

This is the primary language for use with style guides and tutorials. It is basically plain text with embedded codes to determine the start and end of display characteristics such as font, colour, size and alignment. The latest versions of Word (97 and 2000) contain the facility to automatically create HTML pages from text documents.

3.2 Common Gateway Interface (CGI)

CGI is used for server scripts to enable the transfer of text between servers and Websites.

3.3 Free Scripts

Several standard routines have been defined and are available to avoid the need to rewrite them. These are available from:

http://www.freescripts.com/

http://www.itm.com/cgicollection/

http://www.cgi-resources.com/

http://mkruse.netexpress.net/scripts/

3.4 JavaScript

JavaScript is used for client scripts and provides a method of automating displays. Tutorials and sample scripts are available from:

http://www.yahoo.co.uk

4.1 Marketing

To attract users to the site they have to know about it and how to find what they are looking for. The site has to be marketed so as to attract their attention and get them to visit the site.

The viewer needs to be able to assess the organisation and so the site must provide good, easy-to-find information. Trust must be established between the viewer and the site owner. By requesting their e-mail address to distribute notification of updates and new information it is possible to attract them back to the site.

The use of photographs of buildings and staff should be considered to establish a relationship. Policies should be clearly stated and where goods or services are being offered the price should be clearly shown. The information must always be up to date.

Marketing of the site involves using publicity such as including the Website address on headed notepaper and any other correspondence produced for public information. The main way that a site is found is for the subject to be found by a search-engine. This is described in the next sub-section.

To generate interest in the site provide a way of involving the viewer in the site and the organisations activities. This could be way of questionnaires on public interest matters or a suggestion and comment reply facility whereby the viewer can feed the organisation with their personal wishes, desires and requirements.

The site can be used to feed viewers' motivations by providing information, entertainment, and advice on economic issues and social matters. This may require the involvement of other parties outside the organisation who have ambitions to promote similar views.

By linking the site to others of a similar nature, subject or interest, viewers can be attracted.

There must be a way of attracting viewers back to the site. This may be achieved by early notification of forthcoming information.

4.2 Search Engine

A search engine will scan the first 200 words or so of a site home page to find key words included in its index. Keywords are set by the use of Meta tags in the site template. The commands are:

<META name="description" content="..."> <META name="keywords" content="...">

The title of the Website should appear on the home page so as to include it in the index. By proving a link within the title for another site viewers can be attracted. As the search engine only scans the first block of words, it is essential to include the keywords early in the text. Fancy fonts must be avoided, as the search engine will be unable to match them against its index.

Consider including advice / review pages to gather opinions.

Encourage interaction by the use of bulletin boards or chat lines.

Contests / quizzes

Fun and games - come back for more

What's new - in the organisation

Surveys - instigate and feedback

Inside information for use by staff only controlled by passwords

Archives / library - maybe not current but valuable resource

Frequently asked questions - technical tips

Advertising

Sponsorship

Entertainment

Information.

Not proof-reading the contents

Not recognising an international audience

Backgrounds and coloured text not in harmony

Being boring

Image maps change page to page.

Graphics bigger than screen

Non standard bullet lists

Over-use of frames

Unnecessary animations

Complex URLs.

Orphan pages

Long scrolling pages

Lack of navigation support

Non standard link colours

Self referential graphics

Too much heavy text.

Not giving technical info

Browser, download time, link information

Lack of humanity

Blink

Too little white space

No reason to come back.

Make it enticing

Keep it short

Give it attitude

Don't introduce it SAY IT!

200 words on screen max unless it's actual information as opposed to text

Split long sentences by replacing "And" with a full stop.

Contractions

Departmental style guide

Style may change in the site depending on section content and purpose

Position yourself as a visitor to assess style and impact

Features, advantages, benefits

Order text from readers perspective

Be persuasive - buy! Download now! Mail us! Psychological imperative

Give the expected and the unexpected.

Use key involving words:

Make an offer

Free

Convenient

Immediate gratification

Mention the web site and get…..

Trial offer / test drive

Enter and win

It's easy.