|
The real issue in building web sites is not in "building" web
sites, but in keeping them running.
First...decide what kind of web site you are trying to build...
 | Brochure/Informational
 | Tends to be static, update/change cycle is weekly+. |
| Expectation is for limited hits and returns. |
| Often limited in content. |
| Interactivity a plus (applets, Shockwave, etc.). |
| Focus is often on the company (what it does, services offered, etc.). |
| Is the cheapest to build and maintain. |
|
| Sales
| Catalog driven, database backend is common. |
| Session driven (catalog, shopping cart, purchase, receipt). |
| Focus must be on the customer, ease-of-use is critical. |
| Must consider the customer is designing the interface (who are they,
what do they expect, what are there needs). |
| Security of transactions is paramount. |
| Speed, response-time is critical. |
| Must have considerations for repeat business (remember the customer,
etc.). |
| Follow-on support for customer is important (see customer support). |
|
| Customer support (includes news/information services) - also
includes portals and similar sites that are used to aggregate services
and resources.
| Information accessibility and ease-of-use critical. |
| Significant database access required. |
| Structure of information must provide for easy/rapid access. |
| User perspective is essential (what is the customer looking for); the
user should be able to easily and quickly find what they are looking
for. |
| May or may not require controlled access. |
| Currency, accuracy, and timeliness of information is crucial. |
| May include search engine capability (against static files in the
site). |
|
| Entertainment
| Appearance is critical--you are appealing to a specific
audience/customer. |
| The customer is everything. Know who the customer is (age,
gender, ethnicity, education). |
| Sophistication of customer (technophiles or technophobes) is critical
to the success of the site. |
| Bandwidth must be considered especially for audio/video components. |
| Customer technology (related to bandwidth) as well as platform and
software. |
| Interactivity and multimedia will drive the site (games, music,
content). |
|
| Training/Educational Sites
| Growing market with a broad range of applications. |
| Includes traditional academic entities (schools, colleges, universities,
companies). |
| Site delivery ranges from passive, similar to information delivery
sites described previously, to highly interactive with
"real-time" chat rooms and video conferencing. |
| Bandwidth is a critical issue for highly interactive sites. |
| Instructor/course developer expertise is critical.
"Expert" teachers may not have technical skills to develop or
effectively use technology. On the other hand, web site developers
must have strong knowledge acquisition skills. |
| Companies are emerging (e.g., Blackboard.com) that are developing and
providing on-line tools for development and delivery of education
support web sites. |
| A variation of this theme are "support" sites for classrooms
(instructors use web sites to provide access to course materials such as
notes, tests, etc.). |
|
| B2B (Business to Business)
| Typically associated with large companies, broader view is becoming
important (i.e., small and medium size companies). |
| Similar to other types of sites (e.g., sales, customer support) with
some differences. |
| May have faster access/higher bandwidth (corporate clients usually
have faster access). |
| Focus is on the business relationship (availability of product,
delivery, quality). |
| Transaction security is critical (may involve significant funds/asset
transfer). |
| Privacy of relationship is often very important. May require
non-disclosures as part of the interaction. |
|
| Intranet
| Often affords greater options due to control of end-user platforms
(e.g., browser type, access speed, etc.). |
| Tends to be parochial (organization by organization, personality
driven). |
| Security and privacy is essential for internal information and
processes. |
| May have problems with deployed staff accessing via commercial
networks (e.g., internal VPNs v. commercial access networks such as DSL
VPNs). |
| Features often include: e-mail support, file transfer, document
routing, messaging, scheduling management (group and individual)
employee support services (e.g., human resources, accounting). |
| Intranets may include operational systems to support business
processes and data management. |
| While site should be document-free (i.e., no user manuals required),
training of end-users is a more viable option. |
|
|