designing web sites

Essay text:

OBJECTIVES Why a Web site? Life Cycle of Site Building Ways to Build a Web site Web Navigation Design Design Criteria WHY A WEB SITE? Reach Customers Quickly and Reliably Establish a Presence in Cyberspace Leverage Advertising Costs Reduce Customer Service Cost Promote Public Relations Penetrate International Markets Test-market New Products and Services LIFE CYCLE OF SITE BUILDING Plan the Site Define Audience and Connection Build Site Content Define Site Structure Visual Design PLAN THE SITE Define the Site's Goals Determine Who Will Be Involved Understand the Time and Need Constraints Ask Questions Deciding on Site's Mission and Purpose for the Organization PLANNING OBJECTIVES Speed up Interactive Process Reduce Human Intervention to a Minimum Save Time Save Buying and Selling Costs DEFINE AUDIENCE AND COMEPETITION Generate a List of Intended Audience Identify What Prospective Customers Want HOW CUSTOMERS JUDGE WEB SITES Product Prices Product Representation Product Selection Shipping and Handling Delivery Ordering Privacy Policy Web Navigation WEB DESIGN Focus on Speed and Responsiveness Create Scenarios and Test Cases Select a Set of Users for Trial COMPETITVE ANALYSIS Make a List of Competitors Evaluate Criteria: Personalization Consistency Ease of Navigation BUILD SITE CONTENT Create Content Inventory Determine Priority of Each Department Analyze Feasibility of Each Function DEFINE SITE STRUCTURE Create Good Site Structure Explore Various Metaphors Define Architectural Blueprints Decide User Navigation VISUAL DESIGN Use Layout Grid Show icons, buttons, banners, etc...