Project V (web site)
Create a web site for a non-profit organization in your community.
During the last half of the semester you'll design, develop, test, and implement a Web site for a community, government, business, or service organization in your community. Although each person will build his or her own web site, each of the staff groups will work together to help, advise, and critique the work of others in the group.
This project will include several preparation stages. Each stage requires that you present a report to the other members of your staff group and to me.
1. Final Design Document (Parts A and B are due on Nov. 21; Parts C, D, E are due before December 9).
The design document is a report that describes your overall plan for the design, development, implementation, and promotion of your web site. The purpose of the document is to help you identify and address the issues that you will face as you plan and code your site. You might think of this document as similar to a specifications document in software design, or a storyboard in media planning. Ideally it should facilitate communication among all people in the design group, function as a guide when coding the system, and help others who may be brought on to maintain or update the site after it is completed and online.
Listed below are several items you should consider when writing the final design document.
A. Conceptual Analysis (posted on your web, not in hard copy)
This is a general description of who the web site is designed for and what its purpose is. It should include:
An analysis of the intended audience or audiences for the web site. This should be as detailed as possible, and include such items as the audience's experience with computers and with the Web, their education level, age, gender, occupation, income level, computer platforms used, method of access to the site, etc. Be as specific as you possibly can. The objectives of the web site. This is a general overview of what the purpose of the site is (entertainment, education, marketing, decision-making, corporate identity formation, etc.) The specific tasks and scenarios that users of your site will be performing. Again, be as specific as you possibly can.
B. Content Analysis (posted on your web, not in hard copy)
This is a discussion of the content that will be included in the web site to meet the objectives. This discussion will include:
Considerations of who you need to contact to obtain information. Descriptions of what information (text, graphics) currently exists, the form it is in, what needs to be done to the information (e.g., text rewriting; file conversion, photo digitization, etc.). Descriptions of what other information needs to be created (e.g., text to be written, photos to be shot, graphics to be created, etc.) to meet the objectives outlined in your conceptual analysis.
C. Web Structure, Content, and Interface Design
This section includes details of how the actual site will be structured, how the pages will look, and how the user will navigate the site. You should write a brief report (a few paragraphs) explaining your rationale for the structure, content, and navigation features of your site. It could include:
A diagram and description of the web's entire structure. A description of the content (graphics and text) within each section of your web, or a description of the content of each page, if your entire web is five pages or less. A description of the "look and feel" of your web pages. This includes screenshots showing representative screen designs for different sections or levels of your web, or screen designs for the entire site, if it will be five pages or less. A discussion of how users will navigate between different pages, including a description of the navigation tools and cues you'll provide to orient your users. In other words, think of this short report as a preview of the web site you are building, something you could show to your client and say, "how does this sound?"
D. Development Information
This section includes any information you need to specify to facilitate smooth development by yourself or members in your group if you are working in a group (which you might be in the future, but you are not on this project). In this section, include . . .
- A discussion of any standards you need to specify to keep the content, interface, and graphics consistent. (what is your color scheme? what logo or site name are you using?)
- A description of the directory structure, including discussion of the server where the web site will be put online. That is, will this be hosted at your own public_html server, or on some other server?
- Any outstanding issues that you foresee arising during the development process. For example, will you need to transfer this site to another site? Or is this going to be viewed only on your public_html site?
E. Web Promotion and Maintenance
This section includes considerations of how you intend to let your audience know of your web site's existence (how it will be indexed, how it will be announced in other outlets and other media etc.) and a plan for who will be responsible for maintaining and updating the site when it is put online. If there are no specific annoucements, please read the help section in Dreamweaver on "Meta-Properties" to learn how to make sure search engines can find your site.