1. Chapter 5 Designing Web Sites

2. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 2 OBJECTIVES Why a Website? Life Cycle of Site Building Ways to Build a Website Web Navigation Design Design Criteria Designing Websites: Objectives

3. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 3 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 Designing Websites: Why a Website?

4. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 4 LIFE CYCLE OF SITE BUILDING Plan the Site Define Audience & Connection Build Site Content Define Site Structure Create Visual Design Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

5. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 5 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 Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

6. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 6 PLANNING OBJECTIVES Speed Up Interactive Process Reduce Human Intervention to a Minimum Save Time Save Buying & Selling Costs Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

7. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 7 DEFINE AUDIENCE & COMEPETITION Generate a List of Intended Audience Identify What Prospective Customers Want Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

8. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 8 HOW CUSTOMERS JUDGE WEBSITES Product Prices Product Representation Product Selection Shipping & Handling Delivery Ordering Privacy Policy Web Navigation Designing Websites: Define Audience & Competition

9. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 9 WEB DESIGN Focus on Speed & Responsiveness Create Scenarios & Test Cases Select a Set of Users for Trial Designing Websites: Define Audience & Competition

10. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 10 COMPETITVE ANALYSIS Make a List of Competitors Evaluate Criteria: –Personalization –Consistency –Ease of Navigation Designing Websites: Define Audience & Competition

11. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 11 BUILD SITE CONTENT Create Content Inventory Determine Priority of Each Department Analyze Feasibility of Each Function Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

12. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 12 DEFINE SITE STRUCTURE Create Good Site Structure Explore Various Metaphors Define Architectural Blueprints Decide User Navigation Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

13. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 13 VISUAL DESIGN Use Layout Grid –Show icons, buttons, banners, etc. Establish Look & Feel of Site via Page Mock-ups Develop Web Personalization Designing Websites: Life Cycle of Site Building

14. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 14 WAYS TO BUILD A WEBSITE Storefront Building Service ISP (Web Hosting) Service Do It Yourself Designing Websites: Ways to Build a Website

15. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 15 STOREFRONT BUILDING SERVICE Offers Customized Online Store –Provide Web Address –Manage Web Traffic –Maintain Store on Web Servers Drawbacks – Lack of Personalization Designing Websites: Ways to Build a Website

16. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 16 ISP SERVICES Provide E-Commerce Software Offer Well-Versed In-Store building Technology Advantage – Good Customer Support Designing Websites: Ways to Build a Website

17. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 17 DO IT YOURSELF Requires Experience –Security –Web Traffic Management –Responsive Support –Full-Time Web Administration Benefits – Unlimited Upgrades & Customization Designing Websites: Ways to Build a Website

18. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 18 WEB NAVIGATION DESIGN Create User Profiles –Keep Human Factor as Part of the Design Use Scenarios –Help View Navigation Process Designing Websites: Web Navigation Design

19. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 19 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 Designing Websites: Web Navigation Design

20. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 20 DESIGN CRITERIA Appearance Public Exposure Consistency Scalability Security Performance Navigation & Interactivity Designing Websites: Design Criteria

21. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 21 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 Designing Websites: Design Criteria

22. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 22 PUBLIC EXPOSURE Site Availability –Networking & Technology Infrastructure –Network Administrators & Web Designers Designing Websites: Design Criteria

23. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 23 CONSISTENCY Will the Website & Contents Appear the Same on Visitors’ Screens? Usage of HTML Provide Choice of Browser Designing Websites: Design Criteria

24. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 24 SCALABILITY Does the Site Provide a Seamless Growth Path? Capable of Being Expanded Protection of Initial Investment Designing Websites: Design Criteria

25. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 25 SECURITY Protect from Hackers Critical – Website Access Knowledge of Developers Designing Websites: Design Criteria

26. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 26 PERFORMANCE How Long Does It Take for the Page to Appear? Depend on Local Networking, Traffic Volume, Web Connection 45-second Timer Designing Websites: Design Criteria

27. Awad –Electronic Commerce 1/e © 2002 Prentice Hall 27 NAVIGATION & INTERACTIVITY How a Visitor Gets from One Page to Another Format Icons & Buttons Give out Function Descriptions of Each Icon Designing Websites: Design Criteria

28. Chapter 5 Designing Web Sites