Chapter 7)
- 1. Ch. 7 Site Management ISC325
- 2. Announcements Submit your project website (URL) by Monday (5/8). Submit your final project documents by Wed (5/10) Submit your all files for the project on a CD or a floppy. Class presentation on Wednesday (5/10) Final exam on 5/17 (Wednesday) at 2 pm
- 3. Three levels of Web development According to Jakob Nielsen Interaction design Navigation support, layout, search, etc. Content design The actual writing on the pages Web management
- 4. Web Management Evaluation Reviewing your site before going online Web hosting services Maintenance Keeping your site up-to-date
- 5. Testing a Web Site Before Publishing Self-Testing Page display Image display Alternate text descriptions Internal links External links After conducting self-testing, correct any identified problems
- 6. Testing a Web Site Before Publishing Group Testing What appeals to group What disinterests group Time spent on various pages Visited / ignored links Ease of navigation Demonstration of confusion or annoyance
- 7. Evaluation Final Design Checklist http://www.state.fl.us/dms/betterwebsites/inspection_design.html
- 8. Evaluating a User Interface Design Evaluation without users (Inspection method) Heuristic Evaluation Other simple inspection guides for novices Evaluation with users (also known as user studies ) Usability testing
- 9. Heuristic Evaluation Evaluation method without users Fast and easy to carry out Heuristics are “rules of thumb” for good design Heuristic evaluation involves inspection of an information system through the “lens” of each heuristic in an agreed-upon set of heuristics
- 10. What Heuristics? Visibility of system status Match between system and the real world User control and freedom Consistency and standards Error prevention Recognition rather than recall Flexibility and efficiency of use Aesthetic and minimalist design Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors Help and documentation
- 11. 1. Visibility of system status The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. 2. Match between system and the real world The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
- 12. 3. User control and freedom Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo. 4. Consistency and standards Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
- 13. 5. Error prevention Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. 6. Recognition rather than recall Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
- 14. 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions. 8. Aesthetic and minimalist design Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
- 15. 9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution. 10. Help and documentation Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.
- 16. Interactive Heuristics Checklist Interesting idea that the value of different heuristics changes with the application Developer: Catherine Barber http://www.id-book.com/catherb/index.htm p rovides heuristics and a template so that you can evaluate different kinds of systems. More information about this is provided in the interactivities section of the id-book.com website.
- 18. Details of Heuristics http:// www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html http://www.dimi.uniud.it/~giorgio/dida/ir/euristiche-gb.html http://www.westendweb.com/usability/02heuristics.htm Usability Heuristics & examples http://user- experience.org/uefiles/writings/heuristics.html Usability Heuristics for the Web by Keith Instone A report sample for web site HE: http://www.bls.gov/ore/htm_papers/st960160.htm Usability evaluation checklist for web sites: http://www.infodesign.com.au/usabilityresources/evaluation/conductingusabilityreviews.asp
- 19. Pros and Cons Pros Quick No recruiting of users No user sessions Inexpensive No payment of subject No observation equipment Flexible Useful at any stage of development Completely portable Cons No users Can evaluators take all points of view? Can evaluators assess levels of expertise? Subject to evaluator expertise/preferences
- 20. Other Inspection Forms http://www.cyberbee.com/guides.html Internet evaluation forms A guide for rating the curriculum content on web sites A guide for rating the design of a web site Website Investigator
- 21. Walkthrough Walkthrough http://www.webdevelopersjournal.com/articles/walkthrough.html
- 22. Considerations on Evaluation Use different web browsers A variety of computer systems: different Internet connections, different size screens, and different computer platforms. Areas to review Page layout Organization, a logic, relevance, and presentation of content Accuracy Navigation links Technical aspects such as loading time
- 23. User testing Goals & questions focus on how well users perform tasks with the product Major part of usability testing Focus is on time to complete task & number & type of errors User satisfaction questionnaires provide data about users’ opinions
- 24. Usability testing Usability testing involves recording typical users’ performance on typical tasks in controlled settings. Field observations may also be used. As the users perform these tasks they are watched & recorded on video & their key presses are logged. This data is used to calculate performance times, identify errors & help explain why the users did what they did. User satisfaction questionnaires & interviews are used to elicit users’ opinions.
- 25. Measurement Plan What do you need to measure? Task-based analyses Misunderstandings Interpretations Performance-based analyses Time to learn Time to perform task Error rate
- 26. Resources for Usability Usability Toolkit (http://www.stcsig.org/usability/resources/toolkit/toolkit.html ) lots of samples for usability testing Test session checklist Scenario package for a usability test Usability and satisfaction survey for a web application product Participant questionnaire sample form A process for writing usability goals Supper easy usability testing ( http://www.webword.com/moving/easytesting.html)
- 27. Resources for Questionnaires Questionnaire to test reactions http:// www.acm.org/~perlman/question.html http://www.ifsm.umbc.edu/djenni1/osg/ Online Survey Generator
- 28. Publishing the Web Site Acquiring server space Obtaining a domain name Uploading your Web site
- 29. Acquiring Server Space All files must be uploaded to a Web server Client-side vs. server-side functions Server space is available from ISPs and OSPs Free hosting services
- 30. Web Hosting Services The ISP (Internet Service Provider) offers space on the Web server. offers a range of other services such a site promotion and management. Domain Name Go to a domain server such as Network Solutions ( http:// networksolutions.com )
- 31. Hosting Services Web server space - How much space do you have to store files? Minimum 30-100MB Bandwidth - How much traffic can I have at the website? Minimum 5-15GB Email accounts - How many email addresses do you need? Server-Side Software and Extensions - What do you want to do with applications such as forms, FrontPage extensions, and databases? Web Control Panel - What kind of control do you want over the website? What website statistics do you need?
- 32. Acquiring Server Space Consider the following Monthly fee Server space allotted Naming conventions for files Downtime for maintenance / backing up E-commerce / Multimedia / SSL support FTP software Technical Support
- 33. Obtaining a Domain Name Domain Name System (DNS) stores domain names and their corresponding IP addresses DNS Servers translates domain names into their corresponding IP addresses
- 34. Obtaining a Domain Name Obtain a domain name through accredited registration sites Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Domain names will be associated with the computer you authorize during registration
- 35. Uploading Your Web Site Transmitting all files that comprise your Web site to the Internet Three methods FTP applications WYSIWYG software Web folders
- 36. FTP Applications Used to transfer files on the Internet FTP Requires Site name Host/IP/URL Host type Username and password
- 37. WYSIWYG Software Allows you to upload your Web site directly from within the program Microsoft FrontPage FTP program is built in
- 38. Web Folders Web server must be configured to support Microsoft Web Folders Web folders allow you to easily drag and drop files to your remote Web site directory
- 39. Testing a Web Site After Publishing Determine that all images display properly Make certain that no broken links exist Ensure all interactive elements such as forms are functioning properly Make any necessary changes to the source file and then upload that file to the server, overwriting the old file
- 40. Marketing the Web Site It is important to announce your presence on the Web Web-based marketing Search engines Submission services Reciprocal links Banner advertising Awards E-mail newsletters and mailing lists
- 41. Web-Based Marketing Search Engines Maintain a database of sites on the Web Equivalent of having your name and number listed in the Yellow Pages Meta tags increase the chances of your site appearing in search results Spiders and robots search the Web for new sites periodically You can register with some search engines free of charge
- 42. Web-Based Marketing Submission Service Business that will register your site with hundreds of search engines for a fee Reregister your site if you redesign or add substantial new content
- 43. Web-Based Marketing Reciprocal Links Two Web site owners informally agree to put a link to each other’s site on their Web pages Link exchange sites allow you to choose other sites with which you can exchange reciprocal links
- 44. Web-Based Marketing Banner Advertising Intent is to motivate viewers to click the add, which takes them to an advertiser’s Web site Two methods of fee determination Click-through Impression Banner Exchange Sites Similar to link exchange sites Usually a free service
- 46. Web-Based Marketing Awards Beneficial to Web sites only if they come from a credible source CNET PCMagazine
- 47. Web-Based Marketing E-Mail Newsletters and Mailing Lists Have potential to market your Web site easily Inform visitors of new products and services Newsletter should be personable, engaging, and free of errors Always provide a way to unsubscribe from the e-mail newsletter
- 48. Traditional Marketing Methods and Advertising Word of mouth Telling people about your site Print URL appears on printed materials Promotional Items Magnets, coffee mugs, coasters, pens, etc.
- 49. Maintenance Web sites = “living entities” Web site designers should try to reduce future maintenance costs through: Proper technology choice Use of structured design Implementation of consistent markup and coding styles
- 50. Maintenance Keeping Your Site Up-To-Date New content and revisions for keeping it current Broken links Email requests Be sure to include an email address contact on every page of the website
- 51. Maintenance Considerations Make website attractive Minimize load times Text should be displayed quickly Verify ordering information Encourage customer feedback Maintain & upgrade technology
- 52. Maintenance Keeping Your Site Up-To-Date Monitoring Web site traffic with site logs How many people over a given time How many pages were requested What pages were the most popular What versions of Web browser used to view your site Geographic location of visitors Popular site analysis programs like WebTrends
- 53. Maintaining and Updating the Web Site Add changing, timely content Check for broken links, and add new links Document the last reviewed date on Web pages Include a mechanism for gathering user feedback, and act on that feedback Identify benchmark and resource Web sites
- 54. Maintaining and Updating the Web Site Steps for updating Download the desired Web page from the server to your computer Update the downloaded Web page Load the Web page into a browser and check the changes and the page display If the changes and the page display are acceptable, then upload the updated page to the server
- 55. Reference for Web Maintenance Building better website http://www.state.fl.us/dms/betterwebsites Top ten mistakes of web management by Jakob Nielsen http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9706b.html
- 56. Explore some hosting services SpunkyWorld http:// spunkyworld.com / Web Hosting Directory http:// www.webhostsonline.com / Web Hosting Ratings http:// www.webhostingratings.com / 100-Best-Web Hosting http://www.100best-web-hosting.com/